'>*:,''-- .X',  •■  T^," 


>^^ 


\  ■ .  h 


'J^ 


HOR^  PAULINtE; 

GR 

THE  TRUTH 

OF  TUE 

SCRIPTURE  HISTORY  OF  ST.  PAUL, 

EVINCED  BY  A  COMPARISON 

or  THE 

EPISTLES  WHICH  BEAR  HIS  NAME 

WITH 

THE   ACTS   OF   THE   APOSTLES, 
AND  WITH  ONE  ANOTHER. 


TALEy7d.  d. 


BY  WILLIAM 

ARCHDEACON  OF  CARLISLE. 


rjRSr  AMERICAN  PROM  rME  POVRtH  LOKDON  ELiriOV, 


CAMBJilDVSy 

l-RlNTfD    AND    SOLD  BY  WILLIAM  HlLLIARi)  ;    SOLJD  ALSO  BT  TfiS 

BOOKSELLERS  IN  BOSTON,  AND  BY  THOMAS   AND 

WHIPPLE,  NEWEURYPORX. 

1806. 


THE 


TRUTH 


SCRIPTURE  HISTORY  OF  ST.  PAUILt 
EVINCED. 

CHAP.  I. 
EXPOStTlON  OF  THE  ARGUMJENT. 

X  HE  volume  of  Christian  Scriptures  contains  thir- 
teen letters  purporting  to  be  written  by  St.  Paul ;  it  contains 
also  a  book,  which,  amongst  other  things, professes  to  deliv- 
er the  history,  or  rather  memoirs  of  the  history  of  this,  ^ame 
person.  By  assuming  the  genuineness  of  the  letters,  we  may 
prove  the  substantial  truth  of  the  history  ;  or,  by  assuming 
the  truth  of  the  history,  we  may  argue  strongly  in  support 
of  the  genuineness  of  the  letters.  But  I  assume  neither  one 
nor  the  other.  The  reader  is  at  liberty  to  suppose  these 
writings  to  have  been  lately  discovered  in  the  library  of 
Escurial,  and  to  come  to  our  hands  destitute  of  any  extrin- 
sic or  collateral  evidence  whatever;  and  the  argument  I 
I  am  about  to  offer  is  calculated  to  show  tliat  a  com- 
parison of  the  different  writings  would,  even  under  these 
circumstances,  afford  good  reason  to  believe  the  persons 
and  transactions  to  have  been  real,  the  letters  authentic, 
and  the  narration  in  the  main  to  be  true. 

Agreement  or  conformity  between  letters  bearing  the 
nameof  aniwicient  author,  and  a  received  history  of  tliat 


4  EXPaSITION   OF  THE  ARGUMENT. 

au:;hor*s   life,  does  not  necessarily   establish  the  credit  of 
either ;    because, 

1.  The  history  may,  like  Middleton's  Life  of  Cicero, 
or  Jortiii's  Life  of  Erasmus^  have  been  wholly,  or  in  part 
compiled  from  the  letters  ;  in  which  case  it  is  manifest  that 
the  history  adds  nothing  to  the  evidence  already  afforded 
by  the  letters  j    or, 

2.  The  letters  may  have  been  fabricated  out  of  tlie 
history  ;  a.  species  of  imposture  which  is  certainly  practi- 
cable ;  and  which,  without  any  accession  of  proof  or  autho- 
rity, would  necessarily  produce  the  appearance  of  consis- 
tency and  agreement ;  ©r, 

3.  The  history  and  letters  may  have  been  founded' 
upon  some  authority  common  to  botli  j  as  upon  reports 
and  traditions  which  prevailed  in  tlie  age  in  which  they 
were  composed,  or  upon  some  ancient  record  now  lost, 
which  both  writers  consulted ;  in  which  case  also,  the  let- 
ters without  being  genuine,  may  exhibit  marks  of  conform- 
ity with  the  history  j  and  tlie  history,  without  being  true,. 
may  agree  with  the  letters. 

Agreement  therefore,  or  conformity,  is  only  to  be  re- 
lied upon  so  far  as  we  can  exclude  tliese  several  supposi- 
tions. Now  the  point  to  be  noticed  is,  that,  in  the  three  cases 
above  enumerated,  conformity  must  be  the  effect  o£  design, 
AVliere  tlie  history  is  compiled  from  the  letters,  which  is 
the  first  case,  the  design  and  composition  of  the  work  are  in 
general  so  confessed,  or  made  so  evident  by  comparison, 
as  to  leave  us  in  no  danger  of  confounding  the  production 
Tvith  original  history,  or  of  mistaking  it  for  and  independ- 
ent authority.  The  agreement,  it  is  probable,  will 
be  close  and  uniform,  and  will  easily  be  perceived 
to  result  from  tlie  intention  of  the  author,  and  from 
the  plan  and  conduct  of  his  work.  Where  the  let- 
ters are  fabricated  from  the  history,  which  is  the  second 
case,  it  is  always  for  the  purose  of  Imposing  a  forgery  up^ 
on  the  public  ;  and  in  order  to  give  color  and  probabili- 
ty ta  the  fraud,  lumes^  places,  and  circumstances,  found  ia 


ITPOSITION  OF  THE  ARGtJMENT*  5 

the  hiswrfy,  tnay  be  studiously  introduced  into  the  letters, 
as  well  as  a  general  consistency  be  endeavoured  to  be  main-* 
tained.  But  here  it  is  manifest,  that  whatever  congruity 
appears,  is  the  consequence  of  meditation,  artifice,  and 
design.  The  third  case  is  tliat  wherein  the  history  and 
the  letters,  without  any  direct  privity  or  communication 
With  each  other,  derive  their  materials  from  the  same 
source  ;  and,  by  reason  of  their  common  original,  furnish 
instances  of  Accordance  arid  correspondency.  This  is^  a 
situation  in  which  we  must  allow  it  to  be  possible  for  anJi 
cient  writings  to  be  placed ;  and  it  is  a  situation  in  whiOT. 
It  is  more  difficult  to  distinguish  spurious  from  genuine 
Writings,  than  in  either  of  the  cases  described  in  the  pre- 
ceeding  suppositions  ;  inasmuch  as  the  congruities  observ- 
able are  so  far  accidental,  as  that  they  are  not  produced 
by  the  immediate  transplanting  of  names  and  circum- 
stances out  of  one  writing  into  the  other.  But  although, 
with  respect  to  each  other,  the  agreement  in  these  wri- 
tings be  mediate  and  secondary,  yet  it  is  not  properly  or 
absolutely  undesigned  ;  because,  with  respect  to  the  com- 
mon original  from  which  the  information  of  the  writers 
proceeds,  it  is  studied  and  factitious.  The  case  of  which 
we  treat  must,  as  to  the  letters,  be  a  case  of  forgery ;  and 
Vhen  the  ivriter,  wliois  personating  another,  sits  do\vn  to 
his  composition,  whether  he  have  the  history  with  which 
*we  now  compare  the  letters,  or  some  other  record,  before 
him ;  or  whether  he  have  only  loose  tradition  and  reports 
to  go  by,  he  must  adapt  his  imposture,  as  well  as  he  can, 
to  what  he  :fi:nds  in  tliese  accounts ;  and  his  adaptations 
IxriU  be  the  result  of  counsel,  scheme,  and  industry  5  art 
must  be  employed ;  and  vestiges  will  appear  of  manage- 
mefnt  and  design.  Add  to  thisi  that,  in  most  of  the  fol- 
lowing examples,  die  crrcumstances  in  which  the  coinci- 
dence is  remarked  are  of  too  particular  and  domestic  a 
nature  to  have  floated  down  upon  the  stream  of  general 
tradition. 

Of  the  three  cases  which  wc  have  stated,  ^  difference 


O  EXPeSlTIOM  OF  THE  ARGUMENT. 

between  tlie  first  and  the  two  others  is,  that  in  the  Srst 
the  design  may  be  fair  and  honest,  in  the  others  it  must 
he  accompanied  with  the  consciousness  of  fraud ;  but  in 
all  tliere  is  design.  Tn  examining,  therefore,  the  agree- 
ment between  ancient  wiitings,  the  character  of  truth  and 
originality  is  undesignedness ;  and  this  test  applies  to  ev- 
ery supposition  ;  for,  whether  we  suppose  the  history  to 
be  true,  but  the  letters  spurious  j  or  die  letters  to  be  gen- 
uine ;  but  tlie  history  false  ;  or,  lastly,  falsehood  to  belong 
to  both  ;  the  history  to  be  a  fable,  and  the  letters  ficti- 
tious ;  the  same  inference  will  result,  tliat  either  there  will 
be  no  agreement  between  them,  or  ihe  agreement  will  bs 
the  effect  of  design.  Nor  will  it  elude  the  principle  of 
this  rule,  to  suppose  the  same  person  to  have  been  the 
author  of  all  the  letters,,  or  even  the  author  both  of  the 
letters  and  the  history  ;  for  no  less  design  is  necessary  to 
produce  coincidents  between  different  parts  of  a  man's 
own  writings,  especially  when  they  are  made  to  take  the  dif- 
ferent forms  of  a  history  and  of  original  letters,  than  to  ad- 
just them  to  the  circumstances  found  in  any  other  writing.. 
With  respect  to  those  writings  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment which  are  to  be  the  subject  of  our  present  consid- 
eration, I  think  that,  as  to  the  authenticity  of  the  epis- 
iles,.  this  argument,  where  it  is  sufficiently  sustained  by 
instances,  is  nearly  conclusive  ;.  for  I  cannot  assign  a  sup- 
position of  forgery,  in  which  coincidencies  of  tlie  kind 
we  enquire  after  are  likely  to  appear.  As  to  the  history, 
it  extends  to  these  points  ;  it  proves  the  general  reality 
of  the  circumstances  ;  it  proves  the  historian's  knowledge 
of  these  circumstances.  In  the  present  instance  it  con- 
firms his  pretensions  of  having  been  a  contemporary,  and 
in  the  latter  part  of  his  history  a  companion  of  St.  Paul. 
In  a  word,  it  establishes  the  substantial  truth  of  the 
jaarration  ;  and  substantial  truth  is  that  which,  in  eve- 
ry historical  enquiry,  ought  to  be  the  first  thing 
sought  after  and  ascertained )  it  must  be  the  groundwork 
oi  ev^ry  other  observation. 


ExyosmoN  or  the  argument.  *f 

The  reader  then  will  please  to  remember  thl^  word 
vndesignednesSi  as  denoting  that  upon  which  the  construc- 
tion  and  validity  of  our  argument  chiefly  depend. 

As  to  the  proofs  of  undesignedness,  I  shall  in  this 
place  say  little  ;  for  I  had  rather  the  reader's  persuainoli 
should  arise  from  the  instances  themselves,  and  the  sepa- 
rate remarks  with  which  they  may  be  accompanied,  than 
from  any  previous  formulary  or  description  of  argument. 
In  a  great  plurality  of  examples,  I  trust  he  will  be 
perfectly  convinced  that  no  design  or  contrivance  what- 
ever has  been  exercised  j  and  if  some  of  the  coincidences 
alledged  appear  to  be  minute,  circuitous,  or  oblique,  let 
him  reflect  that  this  very  indirectness  and  subtility  is  that 
which  gives  force  and  propriety  to  tlie  example.  Broad, 
obvious,  and  explicit  agreements  prove  little  ;  because  it 
may  be  suggested,  that  ^the  insertion  of  such  is  the  or- 
dinary ex|^ient  of  every  forgery  j  and  though  they 
may  occur,  and  probably  will  occur,  in  genuine  writings, 
yet  it  cannot  be  proved  that  they  are  peculiar  to  these* 
Thus  what  St.  Paul  declares  in  chap.  xi.  of  i  Cor.  concern- 
ing the  institution  of  the  eucharist,  "  For  I  have  received 
•<  of  the  Lord  that  which  I  also  delivered  unto  you, 
**  that  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  same  night  in  which  he  was 
"  betrayed,  took  bread  ;  and  when  he  had  given  thanks, 
«<  he  brake  it,  and  said.  Take,  eat ;  this  is  my  body,  which 
"is  broken  for  you;  this  do  in  remembrance  of  me,*' 
though  it  be  in  close  and  verbal  conformity  with  the  ac- 
count of  the  same  transaction  preserved  by  St.  Luke,  is  yet 
a  conformity  of  which  no  use  can  be  made  in  our  argu- 
ment ;  for  if  it  should  be  objected  that  this  was  a  mere 
recital  from  the  Gospel,  borrowed  by  the  author  of  the  e- 
pistle,  for  tlie  purpose  of  setting  oiF  his  composition  by  an 
appearance  of  agreement  with  the  received  account  of  the 
Lord's  supper,  I  should  not  know  how  to  repel  the  insin. 
nation.     In  like  manner,  the  description  which  St.  Paul 

gives  of  himself  in  his  epistle  to  the  Phiiippians  (iii.  5.) 

•*  Circumcised  the  eighth  day,  of  the  stock  of  Israel,  of  the 


«» tribe  of  Benjamin,  ran  Hebietv  of  the  Hebrews  ;  as 
"touching  the  :law,a. Pharisee  ;  coneerning  zeal  perse- 
«'  cuting  the  church  i  touching  the  righteousness,  which 
<*  is  in  the  law,  blameless" — is  made  up  of  particulars  so 
plainly  delivered  coficerning  him,  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles, the  Epistle  to. the  Romans,  and  the  Epistle  to  the  Ga- 
la tians,  that. I  cannot  deny  but  that  it  would  be  easy  for 
an  impostor,  who  was  fabricating  a  letter  in  the  name  of 
St.  Paul,  to  collect  these  articles  into  one  view.  This 
therefore  is  a  conformity,  \yhich  we  do  not  adduce.  But 
.when  I  read,  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  that  "  when 
*VPaul  came  to  Derbe  and  Lystra,  behold  a  certain  disci- 
<*  pie  was  there,  named  Timotheus,  the  son  of  a  certain 
*'  woman  which  was  a  Jewess  ;"  and  when  in  an  epistle 
addressed  to  Timothy,  I  find  him  reminded  of  his  *'  hav- 
"  ing  known  the  Holy  Scriptures /row  a  child"  which  in> 
plies  that  he  must,  on  one  side  or  both,  have  been  brought 
up  by  Jewish  parents  ;  I  conceive  that  I  remark  a  coinci- 
dence which  shows,  by  its  very  obliquity,  that  scheme  was 
not  employed  in  its  formation.  In  like  manner,  if  a  coin- 
cidence depend  upon  a  <;omparison  of  dates,  or  rather  of 
circumstances f I  om  which  the  dates  are  gathered,  the  more 
intricate  that  comparison  shall  be  ;  the  more  numerous 
the  intermediate  steps  tlirough  which  the  conclusion  is  de- 
duced ;  in  a  word,  the  more  circuitous  the  investigation  is, 
the  better,  .because  the  agreement  which  j&nally  results  is 
thereby  further  removed  from  the  suspicion  of  oontrivande, 
sflPectation,  or  design.  And  it  should  be  remembered,  con- 
cerning these  coincidences,  that  it  is  one  thing  to  be 
minute,  iuid  another  to  be  precarious  ;  one  thing  to  be  un- 
observed, and  another  to  be  obscure  j  one  thing  to  txe  cirw 
CUitous  or  oblique,  and  another  to  be  forced,  dubious,  or 
fanciful.  And  this  distinction  ought  always  to  be  retain- 
ed in  our  thoughts. 

The  very  particularity  of  St.  Paul's  epistles  5  the  pei^- 
petual  recurrence  of  names  of  persons  and  places ;  the 
frequent  allusioas  to  the  incidents  of  his  jprivate  lif«,  anti 


fiXPOSITlON  OP  THE  ARGUMENT.  9 

tlie  Circumstances  of  his  condition  and  history ;  and  the 
connection  and  parallelism  of  these  with  the  same  cir- 
cumstances in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  so  as  to  enable  us, 
for  die  most  part,  to  confront  them  one  with  another ;  as 
well  as  the  relation  which  subsists  between  the  circum- 
stances, as  mentioned  or  referred  to  in  the  different  epis- 
tles J  afford  no  inconsiderable  proof  of  the  genuineness  of 
the  writings,  and  the  reality  of  the  transactions.  For  as 
nO  advertency  is  sufficient  to  guard  against  slips  and  con- 
tradictions, when  circumstances  are  multiplied,  and  when 
tliey  are  liable  to  be  detected  by  cotemporary  accounts  e- 
qually  circumstantial^  an  impostor,  I  should  expect, 
would  either  have  avoided  particulars  entirely,  contenting 
himself  with  doctrinal  discussions,  moral  precepts,  and 
general  reflexions*  ;  or  if,  for  the  sake  of  imitating  St. 
Paul's  style,  he  should  have  thought  k  necessary  to  inter- 
sperse his  composition  with  names  and  circumstances,  he 
would  have  placed  them'  out  of  the  reach  of  comparison 
with,  the  history.  And  I  am  confirmed  in  this^  opinion 
by  an  inspection  of  two  attempts  to  counterfeit  St.  Paulas 
epistles,  which  have  come  down  to  us  ;  and  the  only  at- 
tempts, of  which  wc  have  any  knowledge  that  are  at  all  de- 
serving of  regard.  One  of  these  is  an  epistle  to-the  Laodi- 
ceans,  extant  in  Latin,  and  preserved  by  Fabricius  in  his 
collection  of  apocryphal  scriptures.     The  ottier  purports 

*  This  however  must  not  be  misunderstood.  A  person  writing 
to  his  friends,  and  upon  a  subject  in  which  the  transactions  of  his  own 
life  were  concerned,  would  probably  be  led  in  the  course  of  his  letter, 
specially  if  it  was  a  long  one,  to  refer  to  passages  found  in  his  histo- 
ry. A  person  addressing  an  epistle  to  the  public  at  large,  or  und€r 
the  form  of  an  epistle  delivering  a  discourse  upon  some  speculative 
argument,  would  not,  it  i&  probable,  meet  with  an  occasion  of  allud- 
ing to  the  circumstances  of  his  life  at  all ;  he  might,  or  he  might  not  ; 
the  chance  on  either  side  Is  nearly  equal.  This  is  the  situation  of  the 
catholic  epistle.  Although  therefore  the  presence  of  these  allusions 
and  agreements  be  a  valuable  accession  to  the  arguments  by  which 
the  authenticity  of  a  letter  is  maintained,  yet  the  want  of  thera  cer* 
Ulnly  forms  no  positise  objection^ 


rO  EXPOSITION  OF  THE -ARGUMENT  . 

to  be  an  epistle  of  St.  Paul  to  the  Corinthians,  m  answer 
to  an  epistle  from  tlie  Corinthians  to  him.  This  was 
translated  by  Scroderus  from  a  copy  in  the  Armenian 
language  which  had  been  sent  to  W.  Whiston,  and  was 
.afterwards,  from  a  more  perfect  copy  procured  at  Aleppo, 
.published  by  his  sons,  as  an  appendix  to  their  edition  of 
Moses  Chorenensis.  No  Greek  copy  exists  of  either  ;  they 
are  not  only  not  supported-by  ancient  testimony,  but  they 
are  negatived  and  excluded  ;  as  they  have  never  found 
admission  into  any  catalouge  of  apostolical  writings,  ac- 
knowledged by,  or  known  to,  the  early  ages  of  Christiani- 
ty. In  die  first  of  these  I  found,  as  I  expected,  a  total 
evitatlon  of  circumstances.  It  is  simply  a  collection  ©f 
sentences  from  the  canonical  epistles,  strung  together  witli 
very  little  skill.  The  second,  which  is  a  more  versute  and 
specious  forgery,  is  introduced  with  a  list  of  names  of 
persons  who  wrote  to  St.  Paul  from  Corintli ;  and  is  pre- 
ceded by  an  account  sufficiently  particular  of  tlie  manner 
in  which  the  epistle  was  sent  from  Corinth  to  St.  Paul,.an'd 
the  answer  returned.  But  they  are  names  which  no  one 
ever  heard  of ;  and  the  account  it  is  impossible  to  com- 
bine with  any  thing  found  in  the  Acts,  or  in  the  other  e- 
pistles.  It  is  not  necessary  for  me  t®  point  out  the  inter- 
nal mark  of  spuriousness  and  imposture  which  these  com- 
positions betray  j  but  it  was  necessary  to  observe,  that 
they  do  not  afford  those  coincidences  which  we  propose  as 
■proofs  of  authenticity  in  the  epistles  which  we  defend. 

Having  explained  the  general  scheme  and  formation  of 
the  argument,  I  may  be  permitted  to  subjoin  a  brief  ac- 
count of  the  manner  of  conducting  it. 

Si  have  disposed  the  several  instances  of  agreement  un- 
der separate  numbers ;  as  well  to  mark  more  sensibly 
the  divisions  of  the  subject,  as  for  another  purpose,  viz. 
that  the  reader  may  thereby  be  reminded  that  the  instan- 
ces are  independent  of  one  anotlier.  I  have  advanced 
nothing  which  I  did  not  think  probable  ;  but  the  degree 
of  probability,  by  which  different  instaaces  are  supported, 


EXPOSITION  of  THE  ARGUMENT.  II 

is  undoubtedly  very  different.     If  the  reader,  therefore, 
meets  with  a  number  which  contains  an  instance  tliat  ap- 
pears to  him  unsatisfactory,  or  founded  in  mistake,  he 
will  dismiss  tliat  number  from  the  argument,  but  with- 
out prejudice  t©  any  other.     He  will  have  occasion  also 
to  observe,  that   the  coincidences  discoverable  in  some  e- 
pistles  are  much  fewer  and  weaka:  than  what  are  sup- 
plied by  others.     But  he  will  add  to  his  observation  this 
important  circumstance,  that  whatev^ascertains  the  ori- 
guialof  one  epistle,  in  some  measu^istablishes  the  au- 
thority of  the  re^t.     For,  whether  these  epistles  be  genu- 
ine or  spurious,  every  thing  about  tliem  indicates  that 
they  come  from  the  same  hand.     The  diction,  which  it  is 
extremely  difficult  to  imitate,   preserves  its  resemblance 
and  peculiarity  throughout  all  the  epistles.     Numerous 
expressions  and  singularities  of  style,  found   in  no  other 
part  of  the  New  Testament,  are  repeated   in  different  e- 
pistles';  and  occur,  in  their  respective  places,  without  the 
smallest  appearance  of  force  or  art.      An  involved  argu- 
mentation, frequent   obscurities,   especially   In  the  order 
and  transition  of  thought,    piety,  vehemence,  affection, 
bursts  of   rapture,  and    of  unparallelled  sublimity,  are 
properties,  all  or  most  of  them,  discernible  in  every  letter 
of  the  collection.    But  although  these  epistles  bear  strong 
marks  of  proceeding  from  the  same  hand,   I   think  It  is 
still  more  certain  that  they  were  originally  separate  pub- 
lications.    They  form  no  continued  story  ;  they  compose 
no  regular  correspondence  ;  they  comprise  not  the  trans- 
actions of  any  particular  period  ;  they  carry  on  no  con- 
nection of  argument ;  they  depend  not  upon  one  another  5 
except  in  one  or  two  Instances,  they  refer  not  to  one  anoth- 
er.    I   will  further  undertake  to  say,  that  no  study  or 
care  has  been  employed  to  produce  or  preserve  an  appear- 
ance of  consistency  amongst   them.     All  which  observa- 
tions show  that  they  were   not  intended  by   the  person, 
whoever  he  was,  that  wrote  them,  to  come  forth  or  be 


11  "EXPOSITION  OF  THE  ARGUMENT. 

read  together ;  that  they  appeared  at  first  separately,  and 
have  been  collected  since. 

The  proper  purpose  of  the  following  work  is,  to  bring 
together,  from  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  from  the  dif- 
ferent epistles,  such  passages  as  furnish  examples  of  unde- 
signed coincidence  ;  but  I  have  so  far  enlarged  upon  this 
plan,  as  to  take  into  it  some  circumstances  found  in  the 
epistles,  vvhic^^  contrlbmecr  strength  to  the  conclusion, 
tliough  not  strictly  jibjects  of  compaiison. 

It  appeared  alsd^ij^art  of  the  same  plan,  to  examine 
the  difficulties  which  presented  themselves  in  the  course 
of  our  enquiry. 

I  do  not  know  that  the  subject  has  been  proposed  or 
considered  in  this  view  before.  Ludovicus  Capellus,  Bish- 
op Pearson,  Dr.  Benson,  and  Dr.  Lardner,  have  each 
given  a  continued  history  of  St.  Paul's  life,  made  up 
from  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  and  the  epistles  joined  to- 
gether. But  this,  it  is  manifest,  is  a  different  undertak- 
ing, from  the  present,  and  directed  to  a  different  purpose. 

If  what  here  is  offered  shall  add  one  thread  to  tliat 
complication  of  probabilities  by  which  the  Christian  his- 
tory is  attested,  the  reader^s  attention  will  be  repaid  by 
the  supreme  importance  of  the  subject  j  and  my  desigu 
will  be  fully  answered. 


CHAP.  II. 
THE    EPISTLE    TO    THE    ROMAKS, 

No.  L 

X  HE  first  passage  I  ^(bfj^  produce  from  tl]|,  epistle, 
^d  upon  which  a  good  deal  of  obseria|ior!Vill  be  found- 
ded,  is  the  following  :  ^fRp 

<'  But  now  I  go  unto   Jerusalem,  to  minister  unto  the 
,  *<  saints  i  for  it  hath  pleased  them  of  Macedonia  aij^  A" 
**  chala  to  make  a  certain  contribution  for  the  poot^|aint5  % 
«<  which  are  at  Jerusalem."     Rom.  xv.  25,  6.  \ 

lOrthis  quotation  three  distinct  circumstances  are  stat-  * 
cd  ;  a  contribution  in  Macedonia  for  the  relief  of  the 
Christians  of  Jerusalem,  a  contribution  in  Achala  for  the 
same  purpose,  and  an  intended  journey  of  St.  Paul  to  Je- 
rusalem. These  circumstances  are  stated  as  taking  place 
at  the  same  time,  and  that  to  be  the  time  when  the  epis- 
tle was  written.  Now  let  us  enquire  whether  we  can  find 
these  circumstances  elsewhere;  and  whether,  If  we  diO 
luid  tliem,  they  meet  together  in  respect  of  date.  Turn 
to  tlie  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  chap.  xx.  ver.  2,  3,  and  you. 
read  the  following  account  ;  "  When  he  had  gone  over 
«  those  parts  (yiz.  Macedonia,)  and  had  given  diem  much 
**  exhortation,  he  came  into  Gr-eece,  and  there  abode  three 
**  months  }  and  when  the  Jews  laid  wait  for  him,  as  lie 
^  was  about  to  sail  into  Syria^  he  purposed  to  return 
through  Macedonia."  From  this  passage,  compared 
with  the  account  of  St.  PauPs  travels  given  before,  and, 
from  the  sequel  of  the  chapter  It  appears,  that  upon  St. 
Paul's  second  visit  to  the  peninsula  of  Greece.,  his  inten- 
tion was,  when  he  should  leave  the  country,  to  proceed 
from  Achaia  directly  by  sea  to  Syria  ;  but  that,  to  avoid 
the  Jews,  who  were  lying  in  wait  to  intercept  him  in  his 
route,  he  so  far  changed  his  purpose   as  to  go  back 


^4  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  ROMAICS, 

through  Macedonia,  embark  at  Phillippi,  and  pursue  his 
I'oyage  from  thence  towards  Jerusalem.  Here  therefore 
is  a  journey  to  Jerusalem  ;  but  not  a  syllable  of  any  con- 
tribution. And  as  St.  Paul  had  taken  several  journeys  to 
Jerusalem  before,  and  one  also  immediately  after  his  frst 
visit  into  the  peninsula  of  Greece  (Acts  xviii.  21.),  it 
cannot  from  hence  be  collected  in  which  of  these  visits 
the  epistle  was  written,  or "^ with  certainty,  that  it  was 
written  in  either.  The  silence  of  the  historian,  who  pro- 
fesses to  have  been  with  St.  Paul  at  the  time  (c.  xx,  v.  6.), 
concerning  any  contribution,  might  lead  us  to  look  out 
for  some  different  journey,  or  might  induce  us  perhaps  to 
question  the  consistency  of  the  two  records,  did  not  a 
very  accidental  reference,  in  another  part  of  the  same 
history,  afford  us  sufficient  ground  to  believe  that  thfe  si- 
lence was  omission.  When  St.  Paul  made  his  reply  be- 
fore Felix,  to  the  accusations  of  Tertullus,  he  alledged, 
as  was  natural,  that  neitlier  the  errand  which  brought 
him  to  Jerusalem,  nor  his  conduct  whilst  he  remained 
tliere,  merited  th^  calumnies  with  which  the  Jews  had  as- 
persed him.  "  Now  after  many  years  (i.  e.  of  absence) 
<*  /  came  to  Iring  alms  to  my  nation  and  offerings  ;  whereupon 
"  certain  Jews  from  Asia  found  me  purified  in  the  temple, 
^  neither  with  multitude  nor  with  tumult,  who  ought 
*^'  to  have  been  here  before  thee,  and  object,  if  they  had 
*' ought  against  me.**  Acts  xxiv.  i7-r-i9.  This  men- 
tion of  alms  and  offerings  certainly  brings  the  narrative 
ia  the  Acts  nearer  to  an  accordancy  witli  the  epistle  ;  yet 
CO  one,  I  am  persuaded,  will  suspect  that  this  clause  was 
put  into  St.  Paul's  defence,  either  to  supply  \i[i^  omission 
m  the  preceding  narrative,  or  with  any  view  to  such  ac- 
cordancy. 

After  all,  nothing  is  yet  said  or  hinted  concemig  the 
^lacc  of  the  contribution  ;  nothing  concerning  Macedonia 
*nd  Achaia.  Turn  therefore  to  the  First  Epistle  to  the 
Corinthians,  chap.  xvi.  1—4,  and  you  have  St.  Paul  deliv- 
cring  the  following  directions  j «  Concerning  the  collection 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  ROMANS  IJ 

•*  for  the  saints,  as  I  have  given  orders  to  the  churches 
«•  of  Galatia,  even  so  do  ye  ;  upon  the  first  day  of  the  week 
<*  let  every  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store  as  God  hath  pros- 
**  pered  him,  that  there  be  no  gatherings  when  I  come.  And 
•«  when  I  come,  whomsoever  you  shall  approve  by  your  let- 
*«  ters,  them  will  I  send  to  bring  your  liberality  unto  Jeru* 
**  salem  ;  and  if  it  be  meet  that  I  go  also,  they  shall  go 
«*  with  me."  In  this  passage  we  find  a  contribution  car- 
rying on  at  Coiinth,  the  capital  of  Achaia,  for  the  Chris- 
tians of  Jerusalem  ;  we  find  also  a  hint  given  of  the  pos- 
sibility of  St.  Paul  going  Up  to  Jerusalem  himself,  after 
he  had  paid  liis  visit  into  Achaia  ;  but  this  is  spoken  of* 
rather  as  a  possibility  than  as  any  settled  intention  ;  for 
his  first  thought  was,  **  Whomsoever  you  shall  approve 
"  b}r  *your  letters,  them  will  I  send  to  bring  youi  liberality 
•<  to  Jerusalem  j"  and,  in  the  sixth  verse  he  adds,  "  That 
•*  ye  may  bring  me  on  my  journey  luhlther soever  I  go.*' 
This  epistle  purports  to  be  written  after  St.  Paul  had 
been  at  Corinth  j  for  it  refers  throughout  to  what  he  had 
done  and  said  amongst  them  whilst  he  was  there.  The 
expression  therefore,  ♦*  When  I  come^"  must  relate  to  a 
second  visit ;  against  which  visit  the  contribution  spoken 
of  was  desired  to  be  in  readinessv 

But  though  the  contribution  in  Achaia  be  expressly 
jnentioned,  nothing  is  here  said  concerning  any  contribu- 
tion in  Macedonia.  Turn  therefore,,  in  the  third  place  to 
the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  chap,  viii.ver.  i — 4, 
and  you  will  discover  the  particular  which  remains  to  be 
sought  for*  "  Moreover,  brethren,  we  do  you  to  wit  of 
«  the  grace  of  God  bestowed  on  the  Churches  of  Macedo* 
<*  ma  ;  how  that,  in  a  great  trial  of  affliction,  the  abun- 
*<  dance  of  their  joy  a^d  their  deep  poverty  abounded  un- 
«*  to  the  riches  of  their  liberality  j  for  to  their  power,  I 
•*  bear  record,  yea  and  beyond  their  power,  they  were  wil- 
**  ling  of  themselves ;  praying  us,  with  much  entreaty, 
**  that  we  would  receive  the  gift,  and  take  upon  us  the  feU 
<*  lowsliip  of  the  ministering  to  the  saints.**     To  which 


X6  THE  TFlSTtE  TO  TB^E  ROMANS* 

add  chap.  tx.  vei.  2.    "  I  Icnow  the  forwardness  ofyxiut 
**  miiidj-for  which  I  boast  of  you  to  tliem  of  Macedonia, 
>»  tiuit  Achaia  was  ready  a  year  ago."     In  this  epistle  wx 
find  St.  Paiil  advanced  as  far  as  Macedonia,upon  that  j^» 
£ond  visit  to  Coiinth,  which  he  promised   in  his  formeT 
epistle  ;  we  find  also,  in  the  passages  now  quoted  from  it, 
that  a  contribution  was  going  on  in  Macedonia  at  the 
same  time  with,  or  soon  however  following,  the  contribu- 
tion which  was  made  in  Achaia  ;  but  for  whom  tlic  contri* 
bution  was  made  does  not  appear  in  this  epistle  at  all  j  that 
informatien  must  be  supplied  from  the  first  epistle. 
"    Here  therefore,  at  length,  but  fetched  from  three  differ- 
ent writings,  we  have  obtained  th«  several  circumstances 
we  enquired  after,  and  which  the   Epistle  to  the  Roman<{ 
brings  together,  viz.  a  contribution  in  Achaia  for  the  chris- 
tians of  'Jerusalem  ;    a  Gontribution    in     Macedonia  for 
the  same ;    and    an   approaching  journey  of  St.  Paul  to 
Jerusalem.     We  have  these  circumstances,  each  by  some 
hint  in  the  passage  in  which  it  is  mentioned,  or  by  the  date 
of  the  writiug  in  which  the  passage  occurs,  fixed  to  a  par- 
ticular time  ;  and  we  have  that  time  turning  out,  upon  ex- 
amination, t6  be  in  all  the  sarite  ;  namely,  toward  tlie  close 
of  St.  Paul's  second  visit  to  the  penin-sula  of  Greece* 
This  is  an  instance  of  conformity  beyond  the  possibility,  I 
will  venture  to  say,  of  random  writing  to  produce.     I  al- 
so assert,  that  it  is  in  the  highest  degree  improbable  that 
it  should  have  been  the  effect  of  contrivance  and  design. 
The  imputation  of  design  ambtmts  to  this,  that  the  forger 
of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  inserted  in  it  the  passage  upon 
which  our  observations  are  founded,  for  the  purpose  of 
giving  color  to  his  forgery  by  the  appearance  of  conformi- 
ty with  other  writings  which  were  then  extant.     1  reply, 
in  the  first  place,  that,  if  he  did  this  to  coun  tenance  his 
forgery,  he  did  it  for  the  purpose  of  an  argument  which 
would  not  strike  one  reader  in  ten  thousand.     Coincidences 
so  circuitous  as  this  ansWer  not  the  ends  of  forgery ;  are 
seldom,  I  believe,  attempted  by  it.     In  the  second  place  1 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  ROMANS*  fj 

observe,  that  he  must  have  had  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
and  the  two  Epistles  to  the  Corinthians,  before  him  at  the 
time.  In  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  (I  mean  that  part  of 
the  Acts  which  relates  to  this  period)  he  would  have  found 
the  journey  to  Jerusalem  ;  but  nothing  about  the  contrj* 
bution.  In  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  he  would 
have  found  a  contribution  going  on  in  Achaia  for  the 
Christians  of  Jerusalem,  and  a  distant  hint  of  the  possibili- 
ty of  the  journey  ;  but  nothing  concerning  a  contribution 
in  Macedonia.  In  the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians 
he  would  have  found  a  contribution  in  Macedonia  accom- 
panying that  in  Achaia  ;  but  no  intimation  for  whom  ei- 
ther was  intended,  and  not  a  word  about  tlie  journey.  It 
was  only  by  a  close  and  attentive  collation  of  the  three 
writings,  that  he  could  have  picked  out  the  circumstances 
which  he  has  united  in  his  epistle  ;  and  by  a  still  more 
liice  examination,  that  he  could  have  determined  them  to 
belong  to  the  same  period*  In  the  third  place  I  remark, 
what  diminishes  very  much  the  suspicion  of  fraud,  how 
aptly  and  connectedly  the  mention  ^of  the  circumstances 
in  question,  viz.  the  journey  to  Jerusalem,  and  of  the  oc- 
casion of  that  journey,  arises  from  tlie  context.  "  When- 
•*  jsoever  I  take  my  journey  into  Spain,  I  will  come  ta 
"  you;,  for  I  trust  to  see  you  in  my  journey,  and  to  be  brought 
"  on  my  way  thitherward  by  you,  if  first  I  be  somewhat 
•*  filled  with  your  company.  But  now  I  go  unta  yerusakntf 
**  to  minister  unto  the  saints  ;  for  it  hath  pleased  them  of  Mace-- 
*•  donia  and  Achaia  ta  make  a  certain  contribution  for  the  poor 
•*  saints  luhich  are  at  Jerusalem,  It  hath  pleased  them  veri- 
♦*  ly,  and  their  debtors  they  are  j  for  if  the  Gentiles  have 
*'  been  made  partakers:  of  their  spiritual  things,  their  duty 
*'  is  also  to  minister  unto  them  in  carnal  things.  When 
**  tlierefore  I  have  preformed  this,  and  have  sealed  them 
•*  to  this  fruic,  I  will  come  by  you  into  Spain.^'  Is  the 
passage  in  Italics  lik^  a  passage  foisted  in  for  an  extraneous 
purpose  ?  Does  it  not  arise  from  what  goes  before,  by  a 
junction  as  easy  as  any  example  of  writing  upon  real  busi* 

U  2 


i^  TWE  fel»l5TLt'T'0  THE  ROMANS. 

ness  can  furnish  ?  Could  any  thing  be  mote  natural  than 
that  St.  Paul,  in  A^'Titing  to  the  Rortians,  should  speak 
of  the  time  \di en  he  hoped  to  visit  them  ;  should  men- 
tion the  business  which  then  detained  him  ;  and  that  he 
J>urposed  to  set  foi'v.'ard  upon  his  jourtiey  tO  them,  t^'hen 
that  business  was  completed  i 

No.  IL 

By  means  of  the  quotation  which- formed  the  subject  of 
the  preceding  number,  ive  collect,  that  the  Epistle  to  the 
iiomans  was  written  at  the  conclusion  of  St.  Paul's  second 
visit  to  tlie  peninsula  of  Greece  ;  but  this  we  collect,  not 
from  the  epistle  itself,  nor  from  any  thiwg  declared  concern- 
ing tTie  time  and  place  in  any  part  of  the  epistle,  but  from 
a  comparison  of  circumstances  referred  to  in  the  epistle, 
^th  the  order  of  events  recorded  in  the  Acts,  and  with 
references  to  the  same  circumstances,  though  for  quite  dif- 
ferent purposes,  in  the  two  Epistles  to  the  Corinthians. 
Now  would  the  author  of  a  forgery,  who  sought  to  gain 
Credit  to  a  spurious  letter  by  congruities,  depending  upon 
the  time  and  place  in  which  the  letter  was  supposed  to  be 
written,  have  left  that  time  and  place  to  be  made  out,  in 
a  manner  sO  obscure  and  indirect  as  tliJs  is  ?  If  therefore 
eOmcidences  ©f  circumstances  can  be  pointed  out  in  this 
epistle,  depending  upon  its  date,  or  the  place  where  it  was 
Written,  whilst  that  date  and  place  dre  only  ascertained  by 
other  circumstances,  such  coincidences  may  fairly  be  stat- 
ed as  undesigned.     Under  this  head  I  adduce 

Chap.  xvi.  21 — 23.  "  Timotheus,  my  workfellow,  and 
•»  Lucius,  and  JasOn,  anc?  Sosipater,  my  kinsman,  salute 
^  you.  I,  Tertius,  who  wrote  this  epistle,  salnte  you  id 
«  the  Loid.  Gaius,  mine  host,  and  of  the  whole  church, 
««  saluteth  you  ;  and  Quartus,  a  brother."  With  this  pas- 
sage I  compare  Acts  xx.  4.  "  And  thei-e  accompanied 
•*  him  into  Asia,  Sopater  of  Berea  ;  and,  of  the  Thessa- 
«*  lonians,  Aristarchus  and  Secundus;  and  Gaius  of  Der- 
*^  be,  and  TimotJbeus  j   and,  of  A^i%  Tycbius,  and  Tro* 


«  ^imus."  The  Ilphftk  to  the  Romans;  .WiellSiVe  seen, 
was  written  just  before  St.  Paul's  departure  from  Greece, 
after  hts  second  tistt  to  that  pertinsala ;  the  persoiis  men- 
tioned in  the  quotation  from  thft  Atts^  ske  those  wiio  a«- 
Companied  him  in  that  very  departure.  Of  seven  whose 
flames  are  joined  in  the  salutation  of  th6  charc^h  of  Rome>, 
three,  viz,  Sosipater,  Gaius,  and  Timothy,  are  proved^ 
by  this  passage  iii  tile  Acts,  to  have  been  with  St.  Paul 
Stt  the  time.  And  this  is  perhaps  as  ititich  coincidence  a^ 
could  be  expected  from  reality,  thoi^gh  less,  I  am  apt  to 
^ink,  than  would  have  been  produced  by  design.  Four 
afe  mentioned  m  the  A<its  who  are  not  joined^n  the  salu- 
tation ;  and  it  is  in  the  nature  of  the  case  probable  that 
there  ^lould  be  many  attending  St.  Paul  in  Greece  who 
knew  nothing  of  the-  converts  at  Rome,  nor  were  fcnowti 
by  them.  In  like  manner  several  are  joined  in  the  salutiai 
tion  who  are  not  mentioned  in  the  passage  referred  to  in 
the  Acts.  This  also  was  to  be  expected.  The  occasion 
©f  mentioning  them  in  the  Acts  was  their  proceeding  with 
St.  Paul  upon  his  journey.  But  we  ttiay  be  sure  th^t 
there  were  many  eminent  Christians  with  St.  Paul  in 
Greece,  besides  those  who  accompanied  him  into  Asia.^ 

*  Of  these  Jason  is  one,  whose  presence  upon  this  occasion  is  very 
Raturally  accounted  foi".  Jason  was  an  inhabita:nt  of  Thessalonica  in 
Macedonia,  and  entertained  St.  Paul  in  his  house  upon  his  first  visit  to 
that  country.  Acts  xvii.  7.  St.  Paul,  upon>  this  his  second  visits  pas- 
sed through  Macedonia  on  his  way  to  Greece,  and,  from  the  situation 
of  Thessalonica,  most  likely  through  that  city.  It  appears,  from  va- 
rious instances  in  the  Acts,  to  have  been  the  practice  of  many  converts 
to  attend  St.  Paul  from  place  to  place.  It  is  therefore  highly  proba- 
fjle,  I  mean  that  it  is  highly  consistent  with  theadcount  in  the  histofyt, 
that  Jason,  according  ta  that  account  a  zealous  disciple,  the  inhabi- 
tant of  a  city  at  no  great  distance  from  Greece,  and  through  whict><,'*S 
it  should  seem,  St.  Paul  had  lately  passed,  should  have  accompanied  S^. 
i*aul  into  Greece,  and  have  been  with  him  there  at  this  time.  Lu- 
cius is  another  name  in  the  epistle.  A  very  slight  alteration  would 
convert  Aoy^ta?  into  Ao'jxcci;.  Lucius  into  Luke,  which  would  pro« 
duce  an  additional  coincidence  j  for,  if  Luke  was  the  the  author  of  tlie 


2#  THE  EPIS^TLE  TO  THE  ROMANS. 

But  if  any  one  shall  still  contend  that  a  forger  of  the. 
epistle,  with  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  before  him,  and  hav- 
ing settled  his  scheme  of  writing  a  letter  as  from  St* 
Paul  upon  his  second  visit  into  Greece,  would  easily 
think  of  the  expedient  of  putting  in  the  names  of  those 
persons  who  appeared  to  be  with  St.  Paul  at  the  time,  as 
an  obvious  recommendation  of  the  imposture  ;  I  then 
repeat  my  observations  ;  first,  that  he  would  have  made 
the  catalogue  more  complete  ;  and  secondly,  that  with  this 
contrivance  in  his  thoughts,  it  was  certainly  his  busi- 
ness, in  order  to  avail  himself  of  tlie  artifice,  to  have 
stated  in  the  body  of  the  epistle  that  St.  Paul  was  in  Greece 
when  he  wrote  it,  and  that  he  was  there  upon  his  second 
visit.  Neither  of  v/hich  he  has  done,  either  directly,  or  e-  ' 
ven  so  as  to  be  discoverable  by  any  circumstance  found  in 
the  narrative  delivered  in  the  Acts* 

Under  the  same  head,  viz.  of  coincidences  depending 
Upon  date,  I  cite  frcm  the  epistle  the  following  salutation  j 
'*  Greet  Priscilla  and  Aquila,  my  helpers  in  Christ  Jesus, 
"  who  have  for  my  life  laid  down  their  own  necks ;.  unto 
**  wiiom  not  only  I  give  thanks,  but  also  all  the  churches 
«  of  the  Gentiles."  Chap.  xvi.  3.  It  appears  from  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles,  that  Priscilla  and  Aquila  had  origi- 
nally been  inhabitants  of  Rome ;  for  we  read'.  Acts  xviii» 
2,  that  "  Paul  found  a  certain  Jew,  named  Aquila,  late- 
•«  ly  come  from  Italy  with  his  vnie  Priscilla,  because  that 
<*  Claudius  had  commanded  all  Jews  to  depart  from  RomeJ" 
They  were  connected  therefore  with  the  place  to  which 
the  salutations  are  sent.  That  is  one  coincidence  \.  anoth- 
is  the  following  \  St.  Paul  became  at;qiiainted  with  these 
persons  at  Corinth  during  his  first  visit  into  Greece. 
They  accompanied  him  upon  his  return  into  Asia  ;  were  - 
settled  ibr  some  time  at  Ephesus,  Acts  xviii.    ^9 — 26, 

liistory,  he  was  -with  St.  Paiil  at  thi.s  time ;  inasmxich  as-  describ- 
m^  the  voyuge  which  took  place  soon  after  the  writing  of  this  e- 
|x?tle,  the  historian  uses  the  first  person — "  \Ve  saikd  away  from  Phijl- 
ippi.    Aas  XX.  6» 


TH£  £?ISTLfi  TO  Trtfe  JtOMANS.  tt 


and  appear  to  have  been  with  St.  Fia\  when  he  wrote! 
from  that  place  his  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  i 
Cor.  xvt;^i  9.  Not  long  after  the  writing  of  which  epis- 
tle Sc.  P«l^  went  from  Ephesus  into  Macedonia,  and, 
**  after  heiSfei  gone  over  those  parts,'*  proceeded  froiii^ 
thence  upon  his  second  visit  into  Greece.;  during  Which 
visit,  or  rather  at  the  conclusion  of  it, 'the  Epistle  to  the 
Romans,'  as  hath  been  iShown,  -was  written.  We  havd 
therefore  the  time  of  St.  Paul's  residence  at  Ephesus  aftef 
he  had  written  to  the  Corinthians,  the  time  taken  up  "bf 
his  progress  through  Macedonia  (which  is  indefinite,  and! 
was  probably  considerable),  and  his  three  months'  abode 
lA  Greece  ;  we  have  tlie  sum  of  these  three  periods  allow- 
ed for  Aquila  and  Priscilla  going  back  to  Ronie,  so  as  to 
be  there  when  tlie  epistle  before  us  was  written.  Now 
what  this  quotation  leids  as  to  observe  is,  the  danger  o£ 
scattering  names  and  circumstances  in  writing's  like  the 
present,  how  implicated  they  often  are  with  dates  a'nd  pla- 
ces, and  that  nothing  but  truth  can  preserve  consistency^ 
Had  tire  notes  of  time  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  fiXecl 
writing  o^it  to  any  date  prior  to  St.  Paul's  first  residence 
at  Corinth,  the  salutation  of  Aquila  and  Priscilla  would' 
hsfcVe  contradicted  the  history,  because  it  would  have  beeH 
p^ridrtohrs  acquaintance  with  these  persons.  If  the  notes  of 
time  had  fixed  it  to  any  period  during  flnit  residence  at 
Corinth,  during  his  journey  to  Jeru'salem  when  he  first 
rieturned  out  of  Greece,  during  his  Stay  at  Antroch,  with- 
er he  went  down  from  Jerusalem,  or  during  his  second 
progress  through  Lesser  Asia  upon  which  he  proceedeii 
from  Antioch,  an  equal  contradiction  would  have  been  in- 
curred ;  because  from  Acts  xviii.  2—^-18,  19^^26,  it 
appears,  that  during  all  this  time  Aquila  and  Priscillsl 
were  either  along  with  St.  Paul,  or  were  abiding  ^ 
Ephesus.  Lastly,  had  the  notes  of  time  in  this  epistle, 
which  we  have  seen  to  be  perfectly  incidental,  coospared 
with  the  notes  of  time  in  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Corin- 
tiiians,  which  are  equally  incidental,  £xcd  thi^  epistle  to 


21  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  ROMANS^, 

be  either  contemporary  with  that,  or  prior  to  It,  a  slmirar 
contradiction  would  have  ensued  ;  because,  first,  when  the 
Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  was  written,  Aquila  and  Pris- 
cilla  were  along  with  St.  Paul,  as  they  joined  in  the  salu- 
tation of  that  church,  i  Cor^xvi*  19  ;•  and  because,  sec- 
ondly, the  history  does  not  allow  us  to  suppose,  that  be-- 
tween  the  time  of  their  becoming  acquainted  with  St.- 
Paul,  and  the  time  of  St.TauPs  writing  to  the  Corinthians, 
Aquila  and  Priscilla  could  have  gone  to  Rome,  so  as  to 
have  been  saluted  in  an  epistle  to  that  city ;  and  tlien, 
come  back  to  St.  Paul  at  Ephesus,  so  as  to  be  joined  with- 
him  in  saluting  the  church  of  Corinth.     As  it  is,  all  things 
arc  consistent.  TheEpistle  to  the  Romans  is  posterior  evea 
to  the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians ;  because  it  speaks 
of  a  contribution  in   Achaia  being  completed,  which  the 
Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  chap  vIii,isonly  solicit- 
ing. It  is  sufficiently  therefore  posterior  to  the  First  Epis- 
tle to  the  Corinthians,   to  allow  time  in  the   Interval  for 
Aquila  and  Priscilia's  return  from  Ephesus  to  Rome. 

Before  we  dismiss  these  two  persons,  we  may  take  no-- 
tice  of  the  terms  of  commendation  in  which  St.  Paul  des- 
cribes them,  and  of  tlie  agreement  of  that  encomium  with 
the  history.     "  My  helpers  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  have  for 
"  my  life  laid  down  tlieir  necks  j    unto  whom  not  only  I 
«*  give  thanks,  but  also  all  the  churches  of  the  Gentiles." 
In  the  eighteenth  chapter  of  the  Acts,,  we  ai&  informed 
that  Aquila  and  Priscilla  were  Jews  ;    tliat  St.  Paul  first 
met  with  them  at  Corinth  ;  that  for  some  time  he  abode 
in  the  same  house  with  them  ;  that  St.  Paul's  contention 
at  Corinth  was  with  the  unbelieving  J^ws,  who  at  first 
•^  opposed  and  blasphemed,-  and  afterwards^  with  one  ac-- 
<«  cord-  raised  an  insurrection  against  him  ;■**    that  Aquila 
and  Priscilla.  adhered,    we  may  conclude,  to  St.   Paul- 
throughout  this  whole  contest  y  for,  when  he  left  the  city,, 
they  went  with  him,  Acts  vlii.  18.     Under  these  circum- 
stances, it  is  highly  probable  that  they  should  be  involved- 
-ia  the  dangers  and  persecutions  which  St.  Paul  underwent 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  ROMANS.  2t 

from  the  Jews,  being  themselves  Jews  5  and,  by  adhering 
to  St.  Paul  in  this  dispute,  dcseners,  as  they  would  be  ac- 
counted, of  the  Jewish  cause.  Further,  as  they,  though 
Jews,  were  assisting  to  St.  Paul  in  preaching  to  the  Gen- 
tiles at  Goriath,  they  had  taken  a  decided  part  in  the 
great  controvei'sy  of  that  day,  the  admission  of  the  Gen- 
tiles to  a  parity  of  religious  situation  with  the  Jews.  For 
this  conduct  alone,  if  there  was  no  other  reason,  they  may 
seem  to  have  been  intitled  to  «*  thanks  from  the  churches 
«  of  the  Gentiles.'*  They  were  Jews  taking  pait  with 
the  Gentiles.  Yet  is  all  this  so  indirectly  intimated,  or 
rather  so  much  of  it  left  to  Inference  in  the  account  given 
in  the  Acts,  that  1  do  not  think  it  probable  that  a  forger 
cither  could  or  would  Jiave  drawn  his  representation  from 
thence ;  and  still  less  probable  do  I  think  it,  that,  without 
having  seen  the  Acts,  he  coiild,  by  mere  accident,  and 
without  truth  for  his  guide,  have  delivered  a  representa- 
tion so  conformable  to  the  circumstances  there  lecorded. 

Tl^e  two  congrui ties  last  adduced  depended  upon  the 
time,  the  two  following  regard  the  place,  of  the  epistle. 

1.  Chap.  xvi.  23.  **  Erastus,  the  chamberlain  of  the 
«  city,  saluteth  you"— of  what  city  ?  We  have  seen, 
that  is,  we  have  inferred  from  circumstances  found 
in  the  epistle  compared  with  circumstances  found  in 
tlie  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  in  the  tv/o  Epistles 
to  the  Corinthians,  that  our  epistle  was  written  during 
St.  Paul's  second  visit  to  the  peninsula  of  Greece.  Again, 
as  St.  Paul,  in  his  epistle  to  the  church  of  Corinth,  1  Cor. 
xvi.  3,  speaks  of  a  collection  going  on  in  that  city,  and  of 
his  desire  that  it  might  be  ready  against  he  came  thither  j 
and  as  in  this  epistle  he  speaks  of  that  collection  being 
-ready,  it  follows  that  the  epistle  was  written  either  whilst 
he  was  at  Corinth,  or  after  he  had  been  there.  Thirdly, 
■since  St.  Paul  speaks  in  this  epistle  of  his  journey  to  Jeru- 
salem, as  about  instantly  to  take  place ;  and  as  we  learn. 
Acts  XX.  3,  that  his  design  and  attempt  was  to  sail  upon 
that  journey  immediately  from  Greece  properly  so  called, 


24  THl  ZPISTLE  TO  TH«  ItOMANd* 

i.  e.  as  distinguished  from  Macedonia  ;  it  is  probable  that 
he  was  in  this  country  when  he  wrote  the  epistle,  in  which 
he  speaks  of  himself  as  upon  the  eve  of  setting  out.  If  in 
Greece,  he  was  most  likely  at  Corinth  ;  for  the  two  Epis- 
tles to  the  Corinthians  shew  that  the  principal  env  of  hi« 
coming  into  Greece  was  to  visit  that  city,  wheie  lie  bad 
founded  a  church.  Certainly  we  know  no  place  in  Greece 
io  which  his  presence  was  so  probable;  at  least,  the  plac- 
ing of  him  at  Corinth  satisfies  every  circumstance.  Now 
that  Erastus  was  an  inhabitant  of  Corinth,  or  had  some 
connection  with  Corinth  is  rendered  a  fair  subject  of  pre- 
sumption, by  that  which  is  accidentally  said  of  him  in  the 
Second  Epistle  to  Timothy,  chap.  iii.  20.  "  Erastus  a- 
**  bode  at  Corinth,'*  St.  Paul  complains  of  his  solitude, 
and  is  telling  Timothy  what  was  become  of  his  compan- 
ions.  "  Erastus  abode  at  Corinth ;  but  Trophimus  have  I 
**  left  at  Miletum,  sick.'*  Erastus  was  one  of  those  who 
had  attended  St.  Paul  in  his  travels,  Acts  xix.  22  ;  and 
when  those  travels  had,  upon  some  occasion,  brought  our 
apostle  and  his  train  to  Corinth,  Erastus  staid  there,  for  no 
reason  so  probable  as  that  it  was  his  home.  I  allow 
that  this  coincidence  is  n©t  so  precise  as  some  others,  yet  I 
^nk  it  too  clear  to  be  produced  by  accident ;  for  of  the 
9Xany  places  which  this  same  epistle  has  assigned  to  diflFeri 
ent  persons,  and  the  innumerable  others  which  it  might 
bave  mentioned,  how  came  it  to  fix  upon  Corinth  for 
JErastus  ?  And,  as  far  a$  it  is  a  coincidence,  it  is  certainly 
undesigned  on  the  part  of  the  author  of  the  Epistle  to 
the  Romans  ;  because  he  has  not  told  us  of  what  city 
Erastus  was  the  chamberlain  ;  or,  which  is  the  same  thing 
from  what  city  the  epistle  was  written,  the  setting  forth  of 
which  was  absolutely  necessary  to 'the  display  of  the  coinci- 
dence,if  any  such  display  had  been  thought  of;  nor  cculd  the 
author  of  the  Epistle  to  Timothy  leave  Erastus  at.  Co- 
rinth, from  any  thing  he  might  have  read  in  the  Epistle 
to  the  Romans,  because  Coiinth  is  no  where  in  that  epiSf 
tie  mentioned  either  by  his  name  or  description. 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  ROMANS.  *S 

It.  Chap.  xvi.  I 3.     "  I  commend  unto  you  PhcEbe, 

**  our  sister,  which  is  a  servant  of  the  church  which  is  at 
**  Cenchrea,  that  ye  receive  her  in  the  Lord,  as  becometh 
<*  saints,  and  that  ye  assist  her  in  whatsoever  business  she 
«  hath  need  of  you  ;  for  she  hath  been  a  succourer  of  many 
««  and  of  myself  also."      Cenchrea  adjoined  to  Corinth  ; 
St.  Paul  therefore,  at  the  time  of  writing  the  letter,  was 
in  the  neighbourhood  jof  the  woman  whom  he  thus  recom- 
mends.     But,  further,  that  St.  Paul  had  before  this  been 
^t  Cenchrea  itself,  appears  from  the  eighteenth  chapter  of 
the  Acts ;  and  appears  by  a  circumstance  as  incidental, 
and  as  unlike  design,  as  any  that  can  be  imagined.   **  Paul 
"  after  this  tarried  there  (viz.  at  Corinth)  yet  a  good  while 
**  and  then  took  his  leave  of  the  brethren,  and  sailed  thence 
**  into  Syria,  and  with  him  Priscilla  and  Aquila,  having 
**  shorn  his  head  in  Cenchrea,  for  he  had  a  vow."  xviii. 
18.     The  shaving  of  the  head  donoted  the  expiration  of 
the  Nazaritic  vow.     The  historian  therefore,  by  the  men- 
tion of  this  circumstance,  virtually  tells  us  that  St.  Paul's 
vow  was  expired  before  he  set  forward  upon  his  voyage, 
•having  4eferred  probably  his  departure  until  he  should  be 
released  from  the  lestrictions  under  which  his  vow  laid 
him.     Shiill  we  say  that  the  author  of  the  Acts  of  the  A- 
postles  feigned  this  anecdote  of  St.  Paul,  at  Cenchrea,  be- 
cause  he  had  read  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  that 
**  Phoebe,  a  servant  of  the  church  of  Cenchrea,  had  been 
«*  a  succourer  of  many,  and  of  him  also  ?"    or  shall  we 
say  that  the  authoi  of  the  Epistle  to  the   Romans,  out  of 
his  own  imagination,  created   Phoebe    **  a  servant  of  the 
church  at  Cenchrea,''^  because  he  read  in  the  Acts  of  the  A- 
postles  diat  Paul  had  "  shorn  his  head"  in  that  place  I 

No,  III. 

Chap.  i.  13.  «» Now  I  would  not  ha^^  you  ignorant, 
«  that  tftentimes  I  purposed  to  ^me  unio]yo\Xy  but  was  lethJth* 
**  crto,  that  I  might  have  some  fruit  amon^cf  you    alsO^ 


%ji  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EOMA^S. 

•^  But  now  having  no  more  place  in  these  parts,  and  hav- 
**  ing  a  great  desire  these  many  years  (^«XA<»,  oftentimes) 
"  to  come  unto  you,  whensoever  I  take  my  journey  into 
**  Spain  I  will  come  to  you ;  for  1  trust  to  see  you  in  my 
**  journey,  and  to  be  brought  on  ray  way  thitherward  by 
**  you ;  but  now  I  go  up  unto  Jerusalem,  to  minister  to  the 
**  saints.  When  therefore  I  have  performed  this,  and  have 
**  sealed  to  them  this  fruit,  I  will  come  by  you  into  Spain." 

With  these  passages  compare  Acts  xix.  21.  **  After 
<*  these  things  were  ended  (viz.  atEphesus),  Paul  purpos. 
**  ed  in  the  spirit,  when  he  had  passed  through  Macedo- 
**  nia  and  Achaia,  to  go  to  Jerusalem ;  saying,  after  I 
*'  have  been  there,  I  must  also  see  Rome." 

Let  it  be  observed  that  our  epistle  purports  to  have 
been  written  at  the  conclusion  of  St.  Paul's  second  journey 
into  Greece ;  that  the  quotation  from  the  Acts  contains 
words  said  to  have  been  spoken  by  St.  Paul  at  Ephesus, 
some  time  before  he  set  forwards  upon  that  journey.     Now 
I  contend  that  it  Is  impossible  that  two  independent  fic- 
tions should  have  attributed  to  St.  Paul  the  same  purpose, 
especially  a  purpose  so  specific  and  particular  as  this,  which 
was  not  merely  a  general  design  of  visiting  Rome,  but 
a  design  of  visiting  Rome  after  he  had  passed  through 
Macedonia  and   Achaia,    and  after  he    had  performed 
a  voyage  from   the  countries   to  Jerusalem.     The   con- 
formity between  the  history  and  the  epistle  is  perfect.     la 
the   first  quotation  from  the    epistle,  we  find  that  a  de- 
sign of  visiting  Rome  had  long  dwelt  in  the  apostle's  mind; 
in  the  quotation  from  the  Acts  we  find  that  design  expres- 
■^  sed  a  considerable  time  before  the  epistle  was  written.     In 
the  history  we  find  tliat  the  plan  which  St.  Paul  had  form- 
ed, was  to  pass  through  Macedonia  and  Achaia ;  after 
that  to  go  to  Jerusalem ;   and,  when  he  had  finished  his 
visit  there,  to  sail  for  Rome.     When  the  epistle  was  writ* 
ten,  he  had  executed  so  much  of  his  plan,  as  to  have  passed 
through  Macedonia  and  Achaia ;  and  was  preparing  to 
■pursue  the  remainder  of  it,  by  speedily  setting  out  towards 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  ROMANS.  tj 

Jerusalem ;  and  in  this  point  of  his  travels  he  tells  his 
friends  at  Rome,  that,  when  he  had  completed  the  busi- 
ness which  carried  htm  to  Jerusalem,  he  would  come  to 
them.  Secondly,  I  say  that  the  very  inspection  of  the  pas- 
sages will  satisfy  us  that  they  were  not  made  up  from  one 
another. 

"  Whensoever  I  take  iily  journey  into  Spain,  I  will 
**  come  to  you  ;  for  I  Irust  to  see  you  in  my  joumey,  and 
•*  to  be  brought  on  my  way  thitherward  by  you ;  but  new 
•*  I  go  up  to  Jerusalem,  to  minister  to  the  saints.  When, 
•*  therefore,  I  have  performed  this,  and  have  sealed  to 
**  them  this  fruit,  I  will  come  by  you  into  Spain."  This 
&om  the  epistle. 

**  Paul  purposed  in  the  spirit,  when  he  had  passed 
«  through  Macedonia  and  Achaia,  to  go  to  Jerusalem  ; 
"  saying,  after  I  have  been  there,  I  must  also  see  Rome." 
This  from  the  Acts. 

If  the  passage  in  the  epistle  was  taken  from  that  in  the 
Acts,  why  was  Spain  put  in  ?  If  the  passage  in  the  Acts 
was  taken  from  that  in  the  epistle,  why  was  Spain  left  out  ? 
If  the  two  passages  were  unknown  to  each  other,  nothing^ 
can  account  for  their  conformity  but  truth.  Whether  we 
suppose  the  history  and  the  epistle  to  be  alike  fictions,  or 
the  history  to  be  true  but  the  letter  spurious,  or  the  letter 
to  be  genuine  but  the  history  a  fable,  the  meeting  with 
this  circumstance  in  both,  if  neither  borrowed  it  from  the 
other,  is  upon  all  these  suppositions,  equally  inexplica- 
ble. 

The  following  quotation  I  offer  for  the  purpose  of  point- 
ing out  a  geographical  coincidence,  of  so  much  impor- 
tance, that  Dn  Lardner  considered  it  as  confirmation  of 
the  whole  history  of  St.  Paul's  travek. 

Chap.  XV.  19.  "  So  that  from  Jerusalem*  and  rounj 
«  about  unto  lilyrlcum,  I  have  fully  ppeached  the  gospel 
«  of  Christ," 


2S  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  ROMANS. 

I  do  not  think  that  these  words  necessarily  import  that 
St.  Paul  had  penetrated  into  Illyricum,  or  preached  the 
gospel  ill  that  province  ;  but  rather  that  he  had  come  to 
the  confines  of  Illyricum  {^tx^t  m  IXXv^ikv)  and  that  these 
confines  were  the  external  boundary  of  his  travels.  St. 
Paul  considers  Jerusalem  as  the  centre,  and  is  here  view- 
ing the  circumference  to  which  his  travels  had  extended. 
The  form  of  expression  in  the  original  conveys  this  idea  ; 
uTTo  'li^nToiMfJt'  xxtt  kvkXm  (^ix^i  Tn  lx^.v^iKit,  Illyiicum  was 
the  part  of  this  circle  which  he  mentions  in  an  Epistle  to 
the  Romans,  because  it  lay  in  a  direction  from  Jerusalem 
towards  that  city,  and  pointed  out  to  the  Roman  readers 
the  nearest  place  to  them,  to  which  his  travels  from  Jeru- 
salem had  brought  him.  The  name  of  Illyricum  no  where 
occuis  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles ;  no  suspicion,  there- 
fore, can  be  conceived  that  the  mention  of  it  was  borrow- 
ed from  thence.  Yet  I  think  it  appears,  from  these  same 
Acts,  that  St.  Paul,  before  the  time  when  he  wrote  his  E* 
pistle  to  the  Romans,  had  reached  the  confines  of  Illyri- 
cum J  or,  however,  that  he  might  have  done  so,  in  per- 
fect consistency  with  the  account  there  delivered.  Illyri- 
cum adjoins  upon  Macedonia  ;  measuring  from  Jerusa- 
lem towards  Rome,  it  lies  close  behind  it.  If,  therefore, 
St.  Paul  traversed  the  whole  country  of  Macedonia,  the 
route  would  necessarily  bring  him  to  the  confines  of  Illyri- 
cum, and  these  confines  would  be  described  as  the  extrem- 
ity of  his  journey.  Now  the  account  of  St*  PauPs  second 
visit  to  tlie  peninsula  of  Greece,  is  contained  in  these 
words :  **  He  departed  for  to  go  into  Macedonia  ;  and 
**  when  he  had  gone  over  these  parts,  and  had  given  them 
«<  much  exhortation,  he  came  into  Greece.'*  Actsxx.  2, 
This  account  allows,  or  rather  leads  us  to  suppose  that  St. 
Paul,  ingoing  over  Macedonia  {^ii\6av  rufAi^n  ixuvet),  had 
passed  so  far  to  the  west  as  to  come  into  those  parts  of  the 
country  which  v^ere  contiguous  to  Illyricum,  if  he  did  not 
enter  into  Illyricum  itself.  Tlie  history,  therefore,  and  the 
epistle  so  far  agree,  and  the  agreement  is  much  strength* 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  ROMANS.  .2g 

ened  by  a  coincidence  of  time.  At  the  time  the  epistle  was 
written,  St.  Paul  might  say,  In  conformity  with  the  histo- 
ry, tliat  he  had  "  come  into  lUyrlcum ;"  much  before 
tliat  time  he  could  not  have  said  so  ;  for,  upon  his  for- 
mer journey  to  Macedonia,  his  route  is  laid  down  from 
the  time  of  his  landing  at  Philippi  to  his  sailing  from  Co- 
liHth.  We  trace  him  from  Philippi  to  Amphipolis  and 
Apollonia ;  from  thence  to  Thessalonica  ;  from  Thessa- 
lonica to Berea ;  fromBereato  Athens;  and  from.Ath- 
ans  to  Corindi ;  which  track  confines  him  to  the  eastern  sidd 
ef  the  peninsula,  and  therefore  keeps  him  all  the  while  at  a 
considerable  distance  from  Illyricum.  Upon  his  second 
visit  to  Macedonia,  the  history,  we  have  seen,  leaves  him 
at  Hberty.  It  must  have  been,  therefore,  upon  that  sec- 
ond visit,  if  at  all,  that  he  approached  Illyricum ;  and  this 
visit,  we  know,  almost  immediately  preceded  the  writing 
of  the  epistle.  It  was  natural  tliat  the  apostle  should  re- 
fer to  a  journey  which  was  fresh  in  his  thoughts. 

No,  V. 

Ghap.  xv^  -JO*  **  Now  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  for 
*♦  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ's  sake,  and  for  the  love  of  the  Spir- 
"  it,  that  ye  strive  together  with  me  in  your  prayers  to 
**  God  for  me,  that  I  may  be  delivered  from  them  that  do 
**'not  believe  in  Judea.**  With  this  compare  Acts  xx, 
22,  23. 

**  And  now  behold,  I  go  bound  In  the  spirit  unto  Jeru- 
<•  salem,  not  knowing  the  things  that  shall  befal  me  there, 
«*  save  that  the  Holy  Ghost  witnesseth  in  every  city  saying 
•*  that  bonds  and  afflictions  abide  me."  • ; 

Let  it  be  remarked  that  it  is  the  same  journey  t*  JerUp 
salem  which  is  spoken  of  in  these  two  passages  ;  that  the 
epistle  was  written  immediately  before  St.  Paul  set  for- 
wards upon  this  journey  from  Achaia ;  that  the  words  in 
the  Acts  were  uttered  by  him  when  he  had  proceeded  in 
that  journey  as  far  as  Miletus,  in  Lesser  Asi^.  This  te» 
C2 


^^  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  R0MAK8. 

mg  remembered,  I  observe  that  the  two  passages,  without 
any  resemblance  between  them  that  could  induce  us  to 
suspect  that  they  were  borrowed  from  one  another,  repre- 
sent the  state  of  St.  Paul's  mind,  with  respect  to  the  event 
of  the  journey,  in  terms  of  substantial  agreement.     They 
both  express  his  sense  of  danger  in  the  approaching  visit  to 
Jerusalem  ;  they  both  express  the  doubt  which  dwelt  upon 
his  thoughts  concerning  what  might  there  befal    him. 
When,  in  his  epistle,  he  entreats  the  Roman  Christians, 
•♦  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ's  sake,  and  for  the  love  of  the 
<*  Spirit,  to  strive  together  with  him  in  their  prayers  to 
««  God  for  him,  that  he  might  be  delivered  from  them 
«♦  which  do  not  believe  in  Ju<iea,"  he  sufficiently  confesses 
his  fears.     In  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  we  see  in  him  the 
same  apprehensions,  and  the  same  uncertainty  :    "  I  go 
•«  bound  in  the  spirit  to  Jerusalem,  not  hnoivlng  the  things 
•<  that  shall  befal  me  there.'*     The  only  difference  is,  that 
in  the  history  his  thoughts  are  more  inclined  to  desponden- 
cy than  in  the  epistle.     In  the  epistles,  he  retains  his  hope 
**  that  he  should  come  unto  them  with  joy  by  the  will  of 
**  God ;"  in  the  history,  his  mind  yields  to  the  reflection, 
••  that  the  Holy  Ghost  witnesseth  in  every  city  that  bonds 
'•  and  afflictions  awaited  him."     Now  that  his  fears  should 
be  greater,  and  his  hopes  less,  in  this  stage  of  his  journey 
than  when  he  wrote  his  epistle,  that  is,  when  he  first  set 
out  upon  it,  is  no  other  alteration  than  might  well  be  ex- 
pected ;  since  those  prophetic  intimations  to  which  he  re- 
fers, when  he  says,  "  the  Holy  Ghost  witnesseth  in  every 
•♦  city,"  had  probably  been  received  by  him  in  the  course 
of  his  journey,  and  were  probably  similar  to  what  we  know 
he  received  in  the  remaining  part  of  it  at  Tyre,  xxi.  4  5 
and  afterwards  from  Agabus  at  Caes^ea,  xxi.  1 1* 

r.  No.  VL 

There  is  another  strong  remark  arising  from  the  same 
passage  in  the  epistle  j  to  make  which  understood,  it  will 


TKE  8F1STLE  TO  THE  ROMAICS  Jl 

be  necessary  to  state  the  passage  over  again,  and  somewhat 
more  at  length. 

«  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ's 
<«  sake,  and  for  the  love  of  the  Spirit,  that  ye  strive  togeth- 
**  er  with  me  m  your  prayers  to  God  for  me,  that  I  may 
«  be  delivered  from  them  that  do  not  believe  in  Judea ; 
«•  that  I  may  come  unto  you  with  joy  by  the  will  of  God, 
«  and  may  with  you  be  refreshed." 

I  desire  the  reader  to  call  to  mind  that  part  of  St.  Paul's 
history  which  took  place  after  his  arrival  at  Jerusalem, 
and  which  employs  the  seven  last  chapters  of  the  Acts  ; 
and  I  build  upon  it  this  observation,  that  supposing  the 
Epistle  to  the  Romans  to  have  been  a  forgery,  and  the  au- 
thor of  the  forgery  to  have  had  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  be- 
fore him,  and  to  have  there  seen  that  St.  Paul,  in  fact,  "  was 
"  not  delivered  from  the  unbelieving  Jews,'*  but  on  the 
contrary,  that  he  was  taken  into  custody  at  Jerusalem, 
and  brought  to  Rome  a  prisoner  ;  it  is  next  to  impossible 
that  he  should  have  made  St.  Paul  express  expectations 
so  contrary  to  what  he  saw  had  been  the  event ;  and  utter 
prayers,  with  apparent  hopes  of  success,  which  he  must 
have  known  were  frustrated  in  the  issue. 

This  single  consideration  convinces  me,  that  no  concert 
or  confederacy  whatever  subsisted  between  the  Epistle  and 
the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  ;  and  that  whatever  coincidencies 
have  been  or  can  be  pointed  out  between  them,  are  unso- 
phisticated, and  are  the  result  of  truth  and  reality. 

It  also  convinces  me  that  the  epistle  was  written  not  on- 
ly in  St.  Paul's  lifetime,  but  before  he  arrived  at  Jerusa- 
lem ;  for  the  important  events  relating  to  htm  Which  took 
place  after  his  arrival  at  that  city,  must  have  been  known 
to  the  Christian  community  soon  after  they  happened  ; 
they  form  the  most  public  part  of  his  history.  But  had 
they  been  known  to  the  au  hor  of  the  epistle,  in  other 
words,  had  they  then  taken  place,  the  passage  which  v^ 
have  quoted  from  the  epistle  would  not  have  been  found 
there. 


32  TH£  EMSTL*  TO  THrE  ROMANS. 

No,  VJL 

I  now  proceed  to  state  the  conformity  which  exists  be- 
tween the  argument  of  this  epistle  and  the  history  of  its 
reputed  author.  It  Is  enough  for  this  purpose  to  observe^ 
that  the  object  of  the  epistle,  that  is,  of  the  argumentative 
part  of  it,  was  to  place  the  Gentile  convert  upon  a  parity 
of  situation  with  the  Jewish,  in  respect  of  his  religious  con- 
dition, and  his  rank  in  the  divine  favour.  The  epistle  sup- 
ports this  point  by  a  variety  of  arguments;  such  as,  that 
no  mian  of  either  description  was  justified  by  the  works  of 
the  law,  for  tliis  plain  reason,  that  no  man  had  preformed 
them  ;  that  It  became  tlierefore  necessary  to  appoint  anoth- 
er medium  or  condition  of  justification,  in  which  new  me- 
dium the  Jewish  pecufiarity  was  merged  and  lost ;  that 
Abraham's  own  justification  was  anterior  to  the  law,  and 
independent  of  it ;  that  the  Jewish  converts  were  to  con- 
sider the  law  as  now  dead,  and  themselves  as  married  to 
another  ^  that  what  the  law  in  truth  could  not  do,  in  that 
it  was  weak  through  the  flesh,  God  had  done  by  sending 
his  Son  }  that  God  had  rejected  the  unbelieving  Jews,  and 
had  substituted  in  their  place  a  society  of  believers  in 
Christ,  collected  indifferently  from  Jews  and  Gentiles. 
Soon  after  the  writing  of  this  epistle,  St.  Paul,  agreeably 
to  the  intention  intimated  in  the  epistle  itself,  took  his  jour- 
ney to  Jerusalem.  The  day  after  he  arrived  ihere,  he  was 
Introduced  to  the  church.  What  passed  at  this  interview 
is  thus  related.  Acts  xxi.  19:  "When  he  had  saluted 
•*  them,  he  declared  particularly  what  things  God  had 
**  wrought  among  the  Gentiles  by  his  ministiy  ;  and,  when- 
•«  they  heard  It,  tliey  glorified  the  Lord  ;  and  said  unto 
«<  him,- Thou  seest,  brother,  how  many  thousands  of  Jews 
«*  there  are  vv^hich  believe  ;  and  they  are  all  zealous  of  the 
<*  law  ;  and  they  are  informed  of  thee,  that  thou  teachest  all 
«  the  Jews  which  are  among  the  Gentiles  to  forsake  Mo- 
^  ses,  saying,  that  they  ought  not  to  circumcise  their  chil- 
«  dren,  neither  to  walk  after  tlie  customs."     St.  Paul  dis- 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  ROMANS.  3J 

chimed  the  charge  ;  but  there  must  have  been  something 
to  have  led  to  it.  Now  it  is  only  to  suppose  that  St.  Paul 
openly  professed  tlie  principles  which  the  epistle  contains  ; 
that,  in  the  course  of  his  ministry,  he  had  uttered  the  sen- 
timents which  he  is  here  made  to  write  ;  and  the  matter 
is  accounted  fon  Concerning  the  accusation  which  pub- 
lic rumour  had  brought  against  him  to  Jerusalem,  I  will 
not  say  that  it  was  just ;  but  I  will  say,  that,  if  he  was  the 
author  of  the  epistle  before  us,  and  if  his  preaching  was 
consistent  with  his  writing,  it  was  extremely  natural ;  for 
though  it  be  not  a  necessary,  surely  ic  is  an  easy  inference, 
that  if  the  Gentile  convert,  who  did  not  observe  the  law 
of  Moses,  held  as  advantageous  a  situation  in  his  religious 
interests  as  tlie  Jewish  convert  who  did,  there  could  be  no 
strong  reason  for  observing  that  law  at  all.  The  remon- 
strance therefore  of  the  church  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  re- 
poit  which  occasioned  it,  were  founded  in  no  very  violent 
misconstruction  of  the  apostle's  doctrine.  His  reception 
at  Jerusalem  was  exactly  what  I  should  have  expected  the 
author  of  this  epistle  to  have  met  with.  I  am  entitled 
therefore  to  argue  that  a  separate  narrative  of  effects  ex- 
perienced by  St.  Paul,  similar  to  what  a  person  might  be 
expected  to  experience,  who  held  the  doctrines  advanced 
in  this  epistle,  forms  a  proof  that  he  did  hold  these  doc- 
trines ;  and  that  the  epistle  bearing  his  name,  in  which 
such  doctrines  are  laid  down,  actually  proceeded  from 
inm. 

No.  VIIL 

This  number  is  supplemental  to  the  former.  I  propose 
to  point  out  in  it  two  particulars  in  the  conduct  of  the  argu- 
ment, perfectly  adapted  to  the  historical  circumstances  un- 
der which  the  epistle  was  written ;  which  yet  are  free 
from  all  appearance  of  contrivance,  and  which  it  would 
not,  I  think,  have  entered  into  the  mind  of  a  sophist  to  con- 
trive. 

1.  The  Epistle  to  the  Galatians  relates  to  the  same  gen- 
eral question  as  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans.    St.  Paul  had 


34  "I""*  E«»TLE  TO  THE  ROMANS. 

founded  the  church  of  Galati^ ;  at  Rome  he  had  never 
been.  Observe  now  a  difference  in  his  manner  of  treat* 
ing  of  the  same  subject,  corresponding  with  this  difference 
in  his  situation.  In  tlie  Epistle  to  the  Galatians  he  puts  the 
point  in  a  great  measure  upon  authority  :  "  1  marvel  that 
**  ye  are  so  soon  removed  from  him  that  called  you  into 
•*  the  grace  of  Christ,  unto  another  gospel."  Gal.  i.  6. 
•*  I  certify  you,  brethren,  that  the  gospel  which  was  preach- 
"  ed  of  me  is  not  after  man ;  for  I  neither  received  it  of 
•*  man,  neither  was  I  taught  it  but  by  the  revelation  of  Je* 
••  sus  Christ.'*  Ch.  i.  1 1,  12.  «  I  am  afraid  lest  I  have 
**  bestowed  upon  you  labor  in  vain."  iv.  11,  17..  "  I  de- 
<*  sire  to  be  present  with  you  now,  for  I  stand  in  doubt  of 
«  you.",  iv.  20.  «*  Behold,  I,  Paul,  say  unto  you,  that, 
**  if  ye  be  circumcised,  Christ  shall  profit  you  nothing." 
V.  2.  "  This  persuasion  cometh  not  of  him  that  called 
**  you."  V.  8.  This  is  the  style  in  which  he  accosts  the 
Galatians.  In  the  epistle  to  the  converts  of  Rome^ 
where  his  authority  was  not  established,  nor  his  persoa 
known,  he  puts  the  same  point  entirely  upon  argument. 
The  penisal  of  the  epistle  will  prove  this  to  the  satisfaction 
of  every  reader ;  and,  as  the  observation  relates  to  the 
i*fiole  contents  of  the  epistle,  I  forbear  adducing  seperate 
extracts.  I  repeat  therefore  that  we  have  pointed 
out  a  distinction  in  the  two  epistles,  suited  to  the  relation 
in  which  the  author  stood  to  his  different  correspondents. 

Another  adaption,  and  somewhat  of  the  same  kind,  is 
the  following. 

2.  The  Jews  we  know  were  very  numerous  at  Rome, 
and  probably  formed  a  principal  part  amongst  the  new 
converts ;  so  much  so,  that  the  Christians  seem  to  have 
been  kno\vn  at  Rome  rather  as  a  denomination  of  Jews, 
than  as  any  thing  else.  In  an  epistle  consequently  to  the 
Roman  believers,  the  point  to  be  endeavoured  after  by 
St.  Paul  was,  to  reconcile  the  Jewish  converts  to  die 
opinion,  that  the  Gentiles  were  admitted  by  God  to  a 
parity  of  religious  situation  with  themselves,  and  that 
without  their  being  bound  by  the  law  of  Moses.    The 


THl  BPISTLE  TO  THF  ROMANS.  35 

Gentile  converts  would  probably  accede  to  this   opinion 
very  readily.     In  this  epistle,   therefore,  tliough  directed 
to  the  Roman  church  in  general,  it  is  in  truth  a  Jew  writ- 
ings to  Jews.     Accordingly  you  will  take  notice,  that  as 
often  as  his  argunaent  leads  him  to  say  any  thing  deroga- 
tory from  the  Jewish  institution,  he  constantly  follows  it 
by  a  softening  clause.     Having  (ii.  28,  29.)  pronounced, 
not  much  perhaps  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  native  Jews, 
*«  that  he  is  not  a  Jew  which  is  one  outwardly,  neither 
**  that  circumcision  which   is  outward  in  the  flesh  :"  he 
adds  immediately,  **  What  advantage  then  hath  the  Jew, 
<*  or  what  profit  is  there   in   circumcision  ?     Much  every 
«  nvay:^    Having  in  the  third  chap.  ver.  28,  brought  his 
argument  to  this  formal  <:onclusion,  "  that  a  man  is  justi- 
•*  fied  by  faith  without  the  deeds  of  the  law,"  he  present- 
ly subjoins,  ver.  31,  "  Do  we  then   make  void  the  law 
**  through  faith  ?  God  forbid  !    Tea  tue  esiablish  the  law,** 
in  the  seventh  chapter,  when  in  the  sixth  verse  he  had  ad- 
vanced the   bold  assertion,  that  "  now  we  are   delivered 
*•  from  the  law,  that  being  dead  wherein  we  were  held  ;"  in 
the  very  next  verse  he  comes  In  with  this  healing  question, 
«*  What  shall  we  say  then  ?  Is  the  law  sin  ?  God  forbid ! 
*♦  Nay,  I  had  not  known  sin  but  by  the  law."    Having  in 
the  fallowing  words  insinuated,  or  rather  more  than  insin- 
uated the  inefficacy  of  the  Jewish  law,  viii.  3,  **  for  what  the 
**  law  could  not  do,  in  that  it  was  weak  through  the  flesh, 
•*  God,  sending  his  own  Son  in  the  Hkeness  of  sinful  flesh, 
**  and  for  sin,  condemned  sin  in  the  flesli ;"  after  a  digress- 
ion indeed,  but  that  sort  of  digression  which  he  could  never 
resist,  a  rapturous  contemplation  of  his  Christian  hope, 
and  which  occupies  the  latter  part  of  this  chapter  ;    w6 
find  him  in  the  next,  as  if  sensible  that  he  had  said  some- 
thing which  would  give   offence,  returning  to  his  Jewish 
brethren  in  terms  of  the   warmest  affection  and  respect. 
•'  I  say   the  truth   in  Christ  Jesus  ;    I  lie  not  ;   my  con- 
**  science  also  bearing  witness,  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  I 
\l  liave  great  heaviness  and  «)ntinual  sorrow  in  my  heart  ^ 


^  THE  PPISTLB  TO  THE  ROMANS. 

**  for  I  could  wish  that  myself  were  accursed  from  Chiist, 
**/or  my  brethren,  my  kinsmen  according  to  thejlesh,  who  are 
"  Israelites,  to  nvhom  pertaineth  the  adoption,  and  the  glory, 
**  and  the  covenants ,  and  the  giving  of  the  law,  and  the  ser* 
**  vice  of  God,  and  the  promise  ;  whose  are  the  fathers  /  and 
**  of  whoniy  as  concerning  the  Jlesh,  Christ  earned*  When, 
in  the  thirty  first  and  thirty  second  verses  of  this  ninth 
chapter,  he  represented  to  the  Jews  the  error  of  even 
the  best  of  their  nation,  by  teUing  them  that  *•  Israel, 
**  which  followed  after  the  law  of  righteousness,  had  not 
**  attained  to  the  law  of  righteousness,  because  they 
**  sought  it  not  by  faitli,  but  as  it  were  by  the  works  of 
**  the  law,  for  they  stumbled  at  that  stumbling  stone,"  he 
takes  care  to  annex  to  this  declaration  these  conciliating 
expressions  ;  "  Brethren,  my  hearths  desire  and  prayer  to 
«  God  for  Israel  is,  that  they  might  be  saved  ;  for  I  bear 
«<  them  record  that  they  have  a  zeal  of  God,  but  not  ac- 
<*  cording  to  knowledge."  Lastly,  having,  ch.  x.  20,  21, 
by  the  application  of  a  passage  in  Isaiah  insinuated  the 
most  ungrateful  of  all  propositions  to  a  Jewish  ear,  the 
rejection  of  the  Jewish  nation,  as  God's  peculiar  people  ; 
he  hastens,  as  it  were,  to  qualify  the  intelligence  of  their 
fall  by  this  interesting  expostulation  ;  "  I  say,  then,  hath 
*«  God  cast  away  his  people  (i.  e.  wholly  and  entirely)  ? 
"  God  forbid  !  for  I  also  am  an  Israelite,  of  the  seed  of  A- 
*'  braham,  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin.  G^d  hath  not  cast 
*♦  away  his  people  which  he  forehnew  ;"  and  follows  this 
thought,  throughout  the  whole  of  the  eleventh  chapter. 
In  a  series  of  reflections  calculated  to  soothe  the  Jewish 
converts,  as  well  as  to  procur  efrom  their  Gentile  brethren 
respect  to  the  Jewish  institution.  Now  all  this  is  perfect- 
■  ly  natural.  In  a  real  St.  Paul  writing  to  real  converts, 
It  is  what  anxiety  to  bring  them  over  to  his  persuasion 
would  naturally  produce  ;  but  tliere  is  an  earnestness  and 
a  personality,  if  I  may  so  call  it,  in  the  manner,  which  a 
cold  forgery,  I  apprehend,  would  neither  have  conceived 
nor  siiprortrd. 


CHAF.  in. 

THE   FIRST  BPI'STLE   TO  THE  CORINTmu5.NSo 
No.  I. 

Jl5EF0RE  we  proceed  to  compare  this  epistle  with 
the  history,  or  with  any  other  epistle,  we  will  employ  one 
number  in  stating  certain  remarks  applicable  to  our  argu- 
ment, which  arises  from  a  perusal  of  the  epistle  itself. 

By  an  expression  in  the  first  verse  of  the  seventh  chap- 
ter, «  now  concerning  the  things  whereof  ye  wrote  unto 
me,"  it  appears,  that  this  letter  to  the  Corinthians  was 
written  by  St.  Paul  in  answer  to  one  which  he  had  re- 
ceived from  them  ;  and  that  the  seventh,  and  some  of  the 
following  chapters,  are  taken  up  in  resolving  certain 
doubts,  and  regulating  certain  points  of  order,  concern- 
ing which  the  Corinthians  had  in  their  letter  consulted 
him.  This  alone  is  a  circumstance  considerably  in  favor 
of  the  authenticity  of  the  epistle  ;  for  it  must  have  been  a 
farfetched  contrivance  in  a  forgery,  first  to  have  feigned 
the  receipt  of  a  letter  from  the  church  of  Corinth,  which 
letter  does  not  appear ;  and  then  to  have  drav/n  up  a  fic- 
titious answer  to  it,  relative  to  a  great  variety  of  doubts 
and  enquiries,  purely  economical  and  domestic;  and 
which,  though  likely  enough  to  have  occurred  to  an  in- 
fant society,  in  a  situation  and  under  an  institution  so 
novel  as  that  of  a  Christian  church  then  was,  it  must  Iiave 
very  much  exercised  the  author's  invention,  and  could 
fcave  answered  no  imaginable  purpose  of  forgery,  to  in- 
trod^uce  the  mention  of  it  at  all.  Particulars  of  the  kind 
We  refer  to,  are  such  as  the  follov/ing  ;  the  rule  of  duty 
and  prudence  relative  to  entering  into  marriage,  as  appli- 
,  cable  to  virgins,  to  widows  ;  the  case  of  husbands  mar- 
ried to  unconverted  wives,  of  wives  having  unconverted 
husbands ;  that  case  where  the  unconverted  party  choos- 


,g  THE    FIRST    EPISTIE 

«  to  separate,  where  be  chooses  to  continue  the  union ; 
the  effect^vhleh  their  couvcrsion  produced  upon  the.r  prt- 
or  state,  of  clrcumeision,  of  slavery ;  the  eating  of  th.ngs 
offered   to  idols,  as  it  ^.•as  in  Itself,  as  others  ^vere  affected 
by  it  ;  the  joining  in  idolatrous  sacrifices ;  the  decorum  to 
be'  ob;ervei   in  fhelr   religious  assemblies,  the  order  of 
sneaking,  the  silence  of  women,  the  covermg  or  uncover- 
;.  of  L  head,  as  it  became  men,  as  It  became  — . 
These  subjects,  with  their  several  subdmsions.  are  so  par- 
I  kr.  minute,  and  numerous,  that,  though   they  be  e 
actly  a-reeable  to  the  circumstances  of  the   P«"°"^^« 
whom\e  letter  .as  written,  nothing,  I  bel-e      -^^e 
existence  and  reality  of  those  circumstances,  could  havv 
suo-eested  to  the  writer's  thoughts.        . 

futthlsis  not  the  only  nor  ^'^  rT'^^f'^^ 
^r,on  the  correspondence  between  the  church  of  ConnJ. 
and  th  apostle,  which  I  wish  to  point  out  It  appears 
I  d-ink  In  this  correspondence,  that,  although  tl,e  Connth- 
Hn;  had  wLnto  s't.  Paul,  requesting  his  ans.jr  and  h.s 
d"r  cdons  in  the  several  points  above  enumerated  yet  that 
iev  had-   said  one  sellable  about  the  <=no-:mmes  and 

^orderswhlch  hadcreptin  ^^--S^^-'^'^lf "f^n 

0  which  tb.ey  all  shared  ;  but  that  St.  Paul's  mform  t - 

concerning  the  irregtdaritles  then  p.eva.hng  at  Co,-* 

had  come  round  to  him  from  other  quarters.  J^e  ^^« 

rels  and  disputes  excited  by  their  —t.ot^  adher^n«  o 

their  different  teachers,  and  by  the.r  pla^'"^^*^^ 
mpetltlon  with  one  another,  were  not  ment.ov.ednU.r 

1  J,  but  communicated  to  St.  Paul  by  ^°"  P^'^'^  ^i 
lip-ence    "  It  hath  been  declared  unto  me,  my  brethien.  J 
S::  wi  an  opk.  W  ./  CUoe,  that  there  are  conten- 
..  tions  among  you.  Now  tWs  I  say,  that  every  ne    f ,  o 
..  salth.  I  am  of  Paul,  and  I  of  ApoUos.  and  I  ot  Lepn    , 

JT  fri,r;.t"  fl  II  ,2  V  Tne  incestuous  marnage 
«' and  I  of  Christ.  U-  "'  '^'..  „  ,.  ,  c,  Paul  repre- 
..  of  a  man  with  his  father's  -fe,''wh'ch  St.  Pan      P 

ben^s  with  so  much  severity  m  the  ««'  f  J^^^^j  „„. 
tplstle,  and  which  was  not  the  cume  of.  an  md.vidua 


to    THE    COHINTHIANS.  57 

ty,  but  a  crime  in  which  the  whole  church,  by  tolerating 
and  conniving  at  it,  had  rendered  themselves  partakers, 
did  not  come  to  St.  Paul's  knowledge  by  the  letter,  but 
by  a  rumour  which  had  reached  his  ears  ;  *'  //  is  report- 
«  ed  commonly  that  there  is  fornication  among  you,  and 
"  such  fornication  as  is  not  so  much  as  namcd  among  the 
«  Gentiles,  that  one  should  have  his  father's  wife  ;  and 
<<  ye  are  puiied  up,  and  have  not  rather  moureed  that  he 
<*  that  hath  done  this  deed  might  be  taken  away  from 
•*  among  you."  (v.  i,  2).  Their  going  to  law  before 
the  judicature  of  the  country,  rather  than  arbitrate  and 
adjust  their  disputes  among  themselves,  which  St.  Paul 
animadveits  upon  with  his  usual  plainness,  was  not  inti- 
mated to  him  in  the  lettery  because  he  tells  them  his  opin- 
ion of  this  conduct,  before  he  comes  to  the  contents  of  the 
letter.  Their  litlgiousness  is  censured  by  St.  Paul  in  the 
sixth  chapter  of  his  epistle,  and  it  is  only  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  seventh  chapter  that  he  proceeds  upon  the  ar- 
ticles which  he  found  in  their  letter ;  and  he  proceeds  up- 
on  tliem  with  this  preface :  "  Now  concerning  the  things 
<*  w^hereof  ye  wrote  unto  me,"^  (vii.  i .)  ;  which  introduc- 
tion he  would  riot  have  used,  if  he  had  been  already  discus- 
sing any  of  the  subjects  concerning  v/hich  they  had  writ- 
ten* Their  irregularities  in  celebrating  the  Lord's  supper» 
and  the  utter  perversion  of  the  institution  which  ensued, 
were  not  in  the  letter ,  as  is  evident  from  the  terms  in  which 
St.  Paul  mentions  the  notice  he  had  received  of  it ;  "  Now 
•<  in  this  that  I  declare  unto  youy  I  praise  you  not,  that  ye 
•<  came  together  not  for  the  better,  but  for  the  worse  ;  for 
•*  first  of  all,,  when  ye  come  together  in  the  church,  / 
•<  hear  that  there  be  divisions  among  you,  and  I  partly  le-> 
«*  lleve  it,**  Now  that  the  Corinthians  should  in  their  own 
letter,  exhibit  the  fair  side  of  their  conduct  to  the  apostle, 
and  conceal  from  him  the  faults  of  their  behaviour,  v/as 
extremely  natural,  and  extremely  probable  ;  but  it  was  a 
distinction  which  would  not  I  think,  have  easily  occurred 
to  the  author  of  a  forgery  j  and  much  less  likely  k  it,  thai 


40  TH^    rtUST    EPlStLB 

it  should  have  entered  into  his  thonghts  to  mate  the  dU^ 
tinction  appear  in  the  way  in  which  it  does  appear,  viz. 
not  by  the  original  letter,  not  by  any  express  observation 
upon  it  in  the  answer,  biit  distantly  by  marks  perceivable 
in  the  manner,  or  in  the  order,  in  which  St.  Paul  takes  no* 
lice  of  their  faults. 

No.  //. 

0ur  epistle  purports  to  have  bectt  wi-ittefn  after  St. 
Paul  had  already  been  at  Gorinth :  "  I,  brethren, 
^ytvhm  I  came  unto  you^  came  not  with  excellency  of 
«*  speech  or  of  wisdom,'*  (ii.  i.);  and  Ui  many  other  pla- 
ces to  the  same  eflPect.  It  purports  also  to  have  been  writ- 
ten upon  the  eve  of  another  visit  to  that  church :  "  I  will 
**  come  to  you  shortly,  if  the  Lord  will,"  (iv.  19.);  and 
Sgain,  "  I  will  come  to  you  when  I  shall  pass  through 
••  Macedonia.'*  (xvi.  5.)  Now  the  history  relates  that 
St.  Paul  did  in  fact  visit  Corinth  tivlce  ;  once  as  recorded 
at  length  in  the  eighteenth,  and  a  second  time  as  mention* 
cd  briefly  in  the  twentieth  chapter  of  tlie  Acts.  The  same 
history  also  informs  us,  Acts  xv.  i,  that  it  v/as  from  Ephe- 
sus  St.  Paul  proceeded  upon  his  second  journey  intoGreece. 
Therefore,  as  the  epistle  purports  to  have  been  written  a 
short  time  preceding  that  journey  ;  and  as  St.  Paul,  the 
history  tells  us,  had  resided  more  than  two  years  at  Ephe- 
&US  before  he  set  out  upon  it,  it  follows  thr.t  it  must  havd 
been  from  Ephesus,  to  be  consistent  with  the  history,  that 
the  epistle  was  written ;  and  every  note  ©f  place  in  the 
epistle  agrees  with  this  supposition.  "  If  after  the  man- 
«*  ner  of  men,  I  have  fought  with  beasts  at  Ephesus,  what 
«<  advantegeth  it  me,  if  the  dead  rise  not?**  (xv.  32.) 
I  allov/  that  the  apostle  might  say  this,  whereever  he  was  5 
but  it  was  more  natural  and  more  to  the  purpose  to  say  it 
if  he  was  at  Ephesus  at  the  time,  and  in  the  midst  of  those 
conflicts  to  which  the  expression  relates.  "  The  churches 
«  of  Asia  salute  you."     (xvi.  19. )     Asia,  througliout  the 


TO    THE    CORINTHIANS. 


Acts  of  the  Apostles  and  the  Epistles  of  St.  Paul,  does 
not  mean  the  whole  of  Asra  Minor  or  Anatolia,  nor  even 
the  whole  of  the  proconsulor  Asia,  but  a  district  in  tlie  an- 
terior part  of  that  country,  called  Lydian  Asia,  divided 
from  the  rest,  much  as  Portugal  is  from  Spain,  and  of 
which  district  Ephesus  was  the  capital.  *«  Aquila  and 
**  Priscilla  salute  you."  (xvi.  19.)  Aquila  and  Priscilla 
were  at  Ephesus  daring  the  period  within  which  this  cpis- 
tie  was  written.  (Acts  xviii.  18,  26.)—"  I  willtarry  at 
«*  Ephesus  until  Pentecost."  (xvi.  8.)  This.  I  apprehend 
is  in  terms  almost  asserting  that  he  was  at  Ephesus  at  the 
time  of  writing  the  epistle.  "  A  great  and  effectual  door 
«'  is  opened  uixo  me."  (xvi.  9.)  How  v^ell  this  decla- 
ration corresponded  with  the  state  of  things  at  Ephesus, 
and  the  progress  of  the  gospel  in  tliese  parts,  we  learn  from 
the  reflection  witli  which  die  historian  concludes  the  ac- 
count of  certain  transactions  which  passed  there  5  *''•  So 
*«  mightily  grew  the  word  of  God  and  prevailed,"  (Acts 
.^x.  20.)  ',  as  well  as  from  the  complaint  of  Demetrius, 
**  that  not  only  at  Ephesus,  but  also  throughout  all  Asia, 
**  this  Paul  hath  persuaded  and  turned  away  much  peo- 
"  pie."  (xix.  26.  "  And  there  are  many  adversaries,"" 
says  the  epistle,- (xvi.  9.)  Look  into  the  history  of  this 
period,  "  When  divers  were  hardened  and  believed  not, 
*'  but  spake  evil  of  that  way  before  the  multitude,  he  de- 
"  parted  from  them,  and  seperated  the  disciples.'*  The 
conformity  therefore  upon  this  head  of  comparison,  is  cir- 
cumstantial and  perfect.  If  any  one  think  tliat  this  is  3 
conformity  so  obvious,  that  any  forger  of  tolerable  caution 
and  sagacity,  would  have  taken  care  to  preserve  it,  I  must 
desire  such  a  one  to  read  the  epistle  for  himself;  and,  whea 
he  has  done  so,  to  declare  whether  he  has  discovered  one 
mark  of  art  or  design  ;  whether  the  notes  of  time  and 
place  appear  to  him  to  be  inserted  with  any  reference  ta 
each  other,  with  any  view  of  their  being  compared  with 
each  other,  or  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  visible 
agreement  with  the  history,  in  respect  of  thenu 
D  2 


I^f  THE    FIRST    EPISTDfc 

No,  III. 

Chap.  IV.  1 7 — 19.  "  For  this  cause  I  have  sent  unto  yoi\ 
««  Timotheus,  who  is  my  beloved  son  and  faithful  in  the 
*<  Lord,  who  shall  bring  you  into  remembrance  of  my 
**  ways  which  be  in  Christ,  as  I  teach  every  where  in  every 
«<  church.  Now  some  are  puffed  up,  as  though  I  would 
*'  net  come  unto  you  j  but  I  will  come  unto  you  shortly, 
•«  if  the  Lord  will." 

With  this  I  conrpare  Acts  xix.  21,  22  ;  *'  After  these 
•*  things  were  ended,  Paul  purposed  in  tlie  spirit,  when  he 
"<  had  passed  through  Macedonia  and  jichaiUy  to  go  to  Je- 
**  rusalem ;  saying,  after  I  have  been  there  I  must  also 
*'  see  Rome  :  so  he  sent  unto  Macedonia  two  of  tliem 
'*  that  ministered  Uilto  him,  Ttmothras  and  Erastus." 

Though  it  be  not  said,  it  appears  I  think  with  sufficient 
certainty,  I  mean  from  the  history,  independently  of  the 
epistle,  that  Timothy  was  sent  upon  this  occaiion  in- 
to Achata,  of  which  Corinth  was  the  capital  city,  as  well 
as  into  Macedonia  ;  for  the  sending  of  Timothy  and  Eras- 
tus is,  in  the  passage  where  it  is  mentioned,  plainly  connec- 
ted with  St.  Paul's  own  journey  ;  he  sent  them  before  him. 
As  he  therefore  purposed  to  go  into  Achaia  himself,  it  is 
highly  probable  that  they  were  to  go  thither  also.  Neverthe- 
less, tliey  are  said  only  to  have  been  sent  into  Macedonia, 
because  Macedonia  was  in  truth  the  country  to  which 
they  went  immediately  from  Ephesus ;  being  directed,  as 
V7Q  suppose,  to  proceed  afterwards  from  thence  into  A' 
chaia.  If  this  be  so,  the  narrative  agrees  with  tl:ie  epistle ; 
and  tlie  agreement  is  attended  with  very  little  appearance 
of  design.  One  thing  at  least  concerning  it  is  certain; 
that  if  this  passage  of  St.  Paul's  history  had  been^taken 
from  his  letter,  it  would  have  sent  Timothy  to  Corinth  by 
name,  or  expressly  however  into  Achaia. 

But  there  is  another  circumstance  in  these  two  passa^ 
ges  much  less  obvious,  in  which  an  agreement  holds  with^ 


TO    THTB    CORIMTBIANS.  43^ 

ont  any  room  for  suspicion  that  it  was  produced  by  de- 
sign.   We  have  observed  that  the  seading  of  Timothy  in- 
to the  peninsula  of  Greece  wa^  connected  in  the  narrative 
with  St.  PauVs  own  journey  thither  ;  it  is  stated  as  the 
effect  of  the  same    lesolution.     Paul  purposed  to  go  into 
Macedonia ;  "  jyj  he  sent  two  of  them  that  ministered  un- 
to him,  Timotheus  and  Erastus."     Now  in  tlie  Epistle 
slso  you  remark  that,  v/hen  the  apostle  mentions  his  hav- 
ing sent  Timothy  unto  them,  in  the  very  next  sentence  he 
speaks  of  his  own  visit ;  "  for  this  cause  have  I  sent  unto 
**  you  Timotheus,  who   is  my   beloved  son,  &c.     Now 
**  some  are  puffed  up,  as  though  T  would  not  come  to 
"  you  ;  but  T  will  come   to   you  shortly,  if  God  will.*' 
Timothy's  journey  we  see  is  mentioned  in  the  history,  and 
in  the  epistle,  in   close  connection  with    St.  Paul's  own. 
Here  is  the  same  order  of  tliought  and  intention  ;  yet  con- 
veyed  under   such  diversity  of  circumstance  and  expres- 
sion, and   the  mention  of  them  in  the  epistle  so  allied  to 
the  occasion  which  introduces  it,  viz.  the  insinuation  of 
his  adversaries  that  he  would  come  to  Corinth  no  more, 
that  I  am  persuaded  no  attentive  r  eader  will  believe,  that 
tliese  passages  were  written  in  concert  with  one  another, 
or  will  doubt  but  that  the  agreement  is  unsought  and  un- 
contrived. 

But,  in  the  Acts,  Erastus  accompanied  Timothy  In 
this  journey,  of  v^^hom  no  mention  is  made  in  tlie  epistle. 
From  'what  has  been  said  in  our  observations,  upon  the 
Epistle  to  the  Romans,  it  appears  probable  that  Erastus 
was  a  Corinthian.  If  so,  though  he  accompanied  Timo- 
thy to  Corlwth,  he  was  only  returning  home,  and  Timo- 
thy was  the  messenger  charged  with  St.  Paul's  orders. 
At  any  rate,  this  discrepancy  shews  that  the  passages  were 
not  taken  from  one  another. 

.No.  JF. 

Chap.  xvi.  10,  II.  *'  Now  if  Timotheus  come,  setf 
*^  that  he  may  be  witli  you  without  fear  j  for  he  worketli 


44  THE    FIRST    EPlSTtK 

«  tlie  work  of  the  Lord,  as  I  also  do  ;  let  no  man  thcre- 
«  fore  despise  him,  but  conduct  him  forth  in  peace,  that 
«'  he  may  come  unto  me,  for  I  look  for  him  with  the 
*'  brethren." 

From  the  passage  considered  in  the  preceding  number, 
it  appears  that  Timothy  was  sent  to  Corinth,  either  with 
the  epistle,  or  before  it ;  *'  for  this  cause  have  I  sent  unto 
*'  you  Timotheus."  From  the  passage  now  quoted,  we 
infer  tliat  Timothy  was  not  sent  'with  the  epistle  ;  for  had 
he  been  the  bearer  of  the  letter,  or  accompanied  it,  would 
St.  Paul  in  that  letter  have  said,  "  if  Timothy  come  V* 
Nor  is  tlie  sequel  consistent  with  the  supposition  of  his 
carrying  the  letter ;  for  if  Timothy  was  with  the  Apostla 
v/hen  he  wrote  the  letter,  could  he  say,  as  he  does,  *<  I 
look  for  him  with  the  brethren  V*  I  conclude  therefore 
that  Timothy  had  left  St.  Paul  to  proceed  upon  his  jour- 
ney before  the  letter  was  written.  Further,  tlie  passage 
before  us  seems  to  imply,  that  Timothy  was  not  expected 
by  St.  Paul  to  arrive  at  Corinth,  till  after  they  had  re- 
ceived the  letter.  He  gives  tliem  directions  in  the  letter 
how  to  treat  him  when  he  should  arrive  :  *'  if  he  came,**" 
act  towards  him  so  and  so.  Lastly,  the  whole  form  of  ex- 
pression is  most  natui'llly  applicable  to  the  supposition  of 
Timothy's  coming  to  Corinth,  not  directly  from  St.  Paul, 
but  from  some  otlier  quarter ;  and  that  his  instructions 
bad  been  when  he  should  reach  Corinth,  to  retum.  Now> 
how  stands  this  matter  in  die  history  I  Turn  to  the  nine- 
teenth chapter  and  twenty  first  verse  ef  the  Acts,  and  yoa 
will  find  that  Timothy  did  not,  when  sent  from  Ephesus> 
where  he  left  St.  Paul,  and  where  the  present  epistle  was 
written,  proceed  by  a  straight  course  to  Corintli,  but  that 
he  went  round  through  Macedonia.  This  clears  -up  eve- 
ry thing  ;  for,  although  Timothy  was  sent  forth  upon  his 
journey  before  the  letter  was  v/ritten,  yet,  he  might  not 
reach  Corinth  till  after  the  letter  arrived  there ;  and  he 
¥^ould  come  to  Corinth,  when  he  did  come,  not  directlf 


TO    TRE    COWHTrtlANS.  45 

from  St.  Paul,  at  Ephesus,  but  from  some  part  of  Mace* 
donia.  Here  therefore  is  a  circumstantial  and  critical 
agreement,  and  unquestionably  without  design  ;  for  neith* 
cr  of  the  two  passages  in  the  epistle  mentions  Timothy's 
journey  into  Macedonia  at  all,  though  nothing  but  a  cir- 
cuit of  that  kind  can  explain  and  reconcile  the  expreswons 
which  tlie  writer  uses. 

m.  V. 

Chap.  i.  12.  "  Now  tiiis  I  say,  that  every  one  of  ydit 
<*  saith  I  am  of  Paul,  and  I  of  Apollos,  and  I  of  Cephas^ 
"  and  I  of  Christ," 

Also  iii.  6.  "  I  have  planted,  Apollos  watered,  but 
**  God  gave  the  increase." 

This  expression,  **  I  have  planted,  Apollos  watered^'" 
imports  two  things ;  first,  that  Paul  had  been  at  Corinth 
before  Apollos  ;  secondly,  that  Apollos  had  been  at  Co- 
rinth after  Paul,  but  before  the  writing  of  this  epistle. 
This  implied  account  of  the  several  events,  and  of  the  or- 
der in  which  they  took  place,  corresponds  exactly  with 
the  history.  St.  Paul  after  his  first  visit  into  Greece,  re- 
turned from  Corinth  into  Syria  by  the  way  of  Ephesus  ; 
and,  dropping  his  companions  Aquila  and  Priscilla  at 
Ephesus,  he  proceeded  forwards  to  Jerusalem  ;  from  Je» 
nisalsm  he  descended  to  Antioch ;  and  from  thence  made 
a  progress  through  some  of  the  upper  or  northern  proviso 
ces  of  the  Lesser  Asia,  Acts  xviii.  19.  23  ;  during 
which  progress,  and  consequently  in  the  interval  between 
St.  Paul's  first  and  second  visit  to  Corinth,  and  conse- 
quently also  before  the  writing  of  this  epistle,  wJiich  was  at 
Ephesus  two  years  at  least  after  the  apostle's  return  from 
his  progress,  we  hear  of  Apollos,  and  we  hear  of  him  at 
Corinth.  Whilst  St.  Paul  was  engaged,  as  hath  been  said, 
in  Phrygia  and  Galatia,  Apollos  come  down  to  Ephesus ; 
and  being,  in  St.  Paul's  absence,  instructed  by  Aquila. 
and  Priscilla,  and  having  obtained  letters  of  recommend*. 


4^  THE    FIRST    EPISTLE 

tion  from  the  church  at  Ephesus,  he  passed  over  to  Achaaa  $ 
and  when  he  was  there,  we  read  that  he  "  helped  tliem 
'*  much  which  had  believed  through  grace,  for  he  mighd- 
^  ly  convinced  th^  Jews,  and  that  publicly.*'      Acts  xviii, 
27,  28.       To  have  brought  ApoUos    into  Achaia,  of 
which  Corinth  was  the  capital  city,  as  well  as  the  princi- 
pal Christian  church  ;  and  to  have  shewn  that  he  preach- 
ed the  gospel    in  that   country,   w^ould  have  been   suffi-- 
cient  for  our  purpose.     But  the  history  happens  also  to 
mention  Corinth  by  name,  as  the  place  in  which  Apollos 
after  his  arrival  in  Achaia,  fixed hiaresidence;  for,  proceed- 
ing with  the  account  of  St.  Paul's  travels,  it  tells  us  that 
while  Apollos  was  at  Corinth,  P.iul,  having  passed  through 
the  upper  coasts,  came  down  to  Ephesus,  xix.  ir    What  is 
said  therefore  of  Apollos,  in  the  epistle,  coincides  exactly, 
and  especially  in  the  point  of  chronology,  with  what  is  de- 
livered concerning  liim  in  the  history.     The  only  question^ 
now  is,  whether  the  allusions  w^ere  made  wkh  a  regard  to- 
this  coincidence.     Now  the    occasions  and  purposes  for 
which  the  name  of  Apollos  is  introduced  in  the  Acts  and 
in  the  Epistles,  are  so  independent  and  so  remote,  that  it 
is  impossible  to  discover  the  smallest  reference  from  one 
to  the  other.     Apollos  is  mentioned  in  the  Acts^in  imme* 
diate  connection  whith  the  history  of  Aquila  and  Priscilla^ 
and  for  the  very  singular  circumstance  of  his  "  knowing. 
«  only  the  baptism  of  John."     In  the  epistle,  where  nona 
of  these  circumstances  are  taken  notice  of,  his  name  first 
occurs,  for  the  purpose  of  reproving  the  contentious  spir- 
it of  the  Corinthians ;  a?nd  it  occurs  only  in  conjunction 
with  that  of  some  others.     *'  Every  one  of  you  saith,  I 
**  am  of  Paul,  and  I  of  Apollos,  and  I  of  Cephas,  and  I 
*•  of  Christ."     The  second  passage  in  which  Apollos  ap» 
pears,  "  I  have  planted,  Apollos  watered,"  fixes,  as  we 
have  observed,  the  order  of  time  amongst  three  distinct 
events  j  but  it  fixes  this,  I  will  venture  to   pronounce, 
vnthout  the  writer  perceiving  that  he  was  doing  any  such 
thing.    The  sentence  fixes  this  or4er  in  exact. conformity 


TO    THE    CORINTHIANS.  47 

-with  the  history  ;  but  it  is  itself  introduced  solely  for  the 
sake  of  the  reflection  which  follows  ;  "  Neither  is  he  that 
"  planteth  any  thing,  neither  he  tliat  watcreth,  but  God 
"  that  giveth  the  increase." 

No.  VL 

Chap.  iv.  11,  12.  *'  Even  unto  this  present  hour 
«  we  both  hunger  and  thirst,  and  are  naked,  and  are  buf- 
«  feted,  and  have  no  certain  dwelling  place  ;  and  labour, 
**  working  with  our  own  hands." 

We  are  expressly  told,  in  the  history,  that  at  Corinth  St. 
Paul  laboured  with  his  own  hands  :  *'  He  found  Aquila 
«*  and  Priicilla ;  and,  because  he  was  of  tlie  same  craft, 
«  he  abode  widi  them  and  wrought  ;  for  by  their  occupa- 
«  tion  they  went  tentmakers."  But,  in  the  text  before  us 
he  is  made  to  say,  that  "  he  laboured  ei^en  unto  the  present 
"  houry*  that  Is,  to  the  time  of  writing  the  epistle  at 
Ephesus.  Now,  in  the  narration  of  St.  Paul's  transaction 
at  Ephesus,  delivered  in  the  nineteenth  chapter  of  the 
Acts,  nodiing  is  said  of  his  working  with  his  Q\m  hands; 
but  in  the  twentieth  chapter  we  read,  that  upon  his  retuni 
from  Greece,  he  sent  for  the  elders  of  the  church  of 
Ephesus,  to  meet  him  at  Miletus  ;  and  in  the  discourse 
which  he  there  addressed  to  them,  amidst  some  other  re- 
ilections,which  he  calls  to  their  remembrance,  we  find  the 
following  ^  "  I  have  coveted  no  man's  silver,  or  gold,  or 
**  apparrel  ;  yea,  you  yourselves  also  know^  that  these 
«  hands  have  ministered  unto  my  necessities,  and  to  tliem 
**  that  were  -with  me."  The  reader  will  not  forget  to  re- 
mark, that  though  St.  Paul  be  now  at  Miletus,  It  is  to 
the  elders  of  the  church  of  Ephesus  he  Is  speaking,  when 
he  says,  **  Ye  yourselves  know,  that  these  hands  have 
"  ministered  to  my  necessities  ;"  and  that  the  whole  dis- 
course relates  to  his  conduct,  during  his  last  preceding 
residence  at  Ephesus.  That  manual  labour  therefore, 
which  he  had  exercised  at  Corinth;  he  continued  at  Ephc" 


4^^  THE    FMIST    IH-STKE 

5ttS;  and  not  only  so,  but  continued  it  during  that  pait- 
ticular  residence  at  Ephesus,  near  the  conclusion  of  wliich. 
this  epistle  was  written  ;  so  that  he  might  with  the  strict- 
est truth,  say,  at  the  time  of  writing  the  epistle,  *'  Even 
**  unto  this  present  hour  we  labour,  working  with  our  own 
*■*  hands/*  The  correspondency  is  sufficient  then,  as  to 
the  undesignedness  of  it.  It  is  manifest  to  my  judgment* 
that  if  the  history,  in  this  article,  had  been  taken  from 
the  epistle,  this  circumstance,  if  it  appeared  at  all,  would 
have  appeared  in  its  place,  that  is,  in  the  direct  account 
of  St.  Paul's  transactions  at  Ephesus.  The  correspon- 
dency would  not  have  been  affected,  as  it  is,  by  a  kind  of 
reflected  stroke,  that  is,  by  a  reference  in  a  subsequent 
speech,  to  what  in  the  narrative  was  omitted.  Nor  is  it 
likely,  on  the  other  hand,  that  a  circumstance  which  is  not 
extant  in  the  history  of  St.  Paul  at  Ephesus,  should  have 
been  made  the  subject  of  a  fictitious  allusion,  in  an  epistle 
purporting  to  be  written  by  him  from  that  place  ;  not  to 
mention  that  the  allusion  itself,  especially  as  to  time,  is 
too  oblique  and  general  to  answer  any  purpose  of  forge- 
ry whatever. 

No,  VIL 

Chap.  ix.  20.  "  And  unto  the  Jews  I  became  as  a  Jew 
"  that  I  might  gain  the  Jews ;  to  them  that  are  under  the 
•*  law,  as  under  the  law.'* 

We  have  the  disposition  here  described,  exemplified  in 
two  instances  which  the  history  records  j  one.  Acts  xvi. 
3.  **  Him  (Timothy)  would  Paul  have  to  go  forth  with 
**  him,  and  took  and  circumcised  him,  because  of  the  Jenus 
**  in  thdse  quarters  ;  for  they  knew  all  that  bis  father  was 
**  a  Greek."  This  was  before  the  writing  of  the  epistle. 
The  other,  Acts  xxi.  23,  26,  and  after  the  writing  of  the 
epistle  ;  *'  Do  this  that  we  say  to  thee  ;  we  have 
**  four  men  that  have  a  vow  on  them  ;  them  take,  and 
♦*  purify  thyself  with  them,   that  they  may  shave  their 


TO    THE    CORINTHIANS.  4^. 

*« -heads  ;  and  all  may  know  that  those  things,,  whereof 
«*  they  were  informed  concerning  thee,  are  nothing;  but 
**  that  thou  thyself  also  walkest  orderly,  and  keepest  the 
**  law.     Then  Paul  took  the  men,  and  the  next  day,  /«- 
**  rifylng  himself  with  them,  entered  into  the  temple-''^     Nor 
does  tliis  concurrence  between  the  character  and  the   in- 
stances look  like  the  result  of  contrivance.     St.  Paul,  in 
the  epistle,  describes,  or  is  made  to  describe,  his  own  ac- 
commodating conduct  towards  Jews   and  towards  Gen- 
tiles, towards  the  weak  and  over  scrupulous,  towards  men 
indeed  of  every  variety  of  character  ;  to  "  them  that  are 
*«  without  law  as  without  law,  being  not  without  law  to 
"  God,  but  under  the  law   to  Christ,  that  I  might  gain 
'*  them  that  are  without  law ;    to  the  weak  became  I  as 
"weak,  that   I    might  gain  the  weak-;     lam   made  all 
**  things  to  all  men,  that  I  might  gain  some."     This  is 
the  sequel  of  the   text  which  stands   at  the  head  of  the 
present  number.      Taking    tlierefore  the   whole  passage 
together,  the  apostle's  condescension  to  the  Jews  is  men- 
tioned  only  as  a  part  of  his  general  disposition  towards 
all.     It  is  not  probable    that  this  character  -should  have 
been  made  up  from  the   instances  in  tlie  Acts,  which  re- 
late solely  to  his  dealings  vrith  the  Jews.     It  is  not  prob- 
able that  a  sophist  should  take  his  hint  from  those  instan- 
ces, and  then  extend  it  so  much  beyond  them ;  and  it  is 
still  more  incredible  that  the  two  instances  in  the  Acts, 
circumstantially  i  elated  and  Interwoven  with  the  history, 
should  have  been  fabricated  in  order  to  suit  the  character 
which  Str  Paul  gives  of  himself  in  the  epistle. 

No,  VIIL 

Chap.  J.  14—17.  *'  i  thank  God  that  I  baptized  none 
"  of  you  but  Crlspus  and  Gains,  lest  any  should  say  that 
**  I  baptized  in  my  own  name  ;  and  I  baptized  also  the 
"  household  of  Stephanas  ;  besides,  I  know  not  whether  I 
"  baptized  any  other ;  for  Christ  s^nt  me  not  to  baptize, 
f  but  to  preach  the  gospel.'* 
E 


5^  THE   FIRST    EPISTLE 

It  may  be  expected,  that  those  whom  the  apostle  -bap- 
tized with  his  own  hands,  were  converts  distinguished 
from  the  rest  by  some  circumstance,  either  of  eminence, 
or  of  connection  with  him.  Accordingly,  of  the  three 
names  here  mentioned,  Crispus,  we  find,  from  Acts  xviii. 
S,  was  a  **  chief  ruler  of  the  Jewish  synagouge  at  Co* 
**  rintli,  who  believed  in  the  Lord,  with  all  his  house.**" 
Oaius,  it  appears  from  Romans  xvi.  23,  was  St.  Paul*s 
host  at  Corinth,  and  tlie  host,  he  tells  us,  "  c^  the  whole 
**  church."  The  household  of  Stephanas,  we  read  in  the 
sixteenth  chapter  of  this  epistle,  "  were  the  first  fruits  of 
**  Achaia."  Here  therefore  is  th«  propriety  we  expected; 
and  it  is  a  proof  of  reality  not  to  be  contemned  ;  for  their 
names  appearing  in  the  several  places  in  which  they  occur, 
with  a  mark  of  distinction  belonging  to  each,  eowld  hard- 
ly be  the  efiect  of  chance,  without  any  truth  to  direct  it ; 
and,  on  the  other  hand  to  suppose  that  they  were  picked 
out  from  these  passages,  and  brought  together  in  the 
text  before  us,  in  order  to  display  a  conformity  of  names, 
is  both  improbable  in  itself,  and  is  rendered  more  so,  by 
the  purpose  for  which  they  are  introduced.  They  come 
»n  to  assist  St.  Paul's  exculpation  of  himself,  against  the 
possible  charge,  of  having  assumed  the  character  of  the 
founder  of  a  separate  religion,  and  with  no  other  visible, 
cr,  as  I  think,  imaginitble  design.* 

*  Chap.  I  r.  "  Paul  called  to  be  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ, 'through 
«'  the  will  of  God,  and  Sosthenes,  our  brother,  unto  the  church  of 
"'God,  which  is  at  Corinth."  The  only  account  we  have  of  any 
person  who  bore  the  name  Of  Sosthenes,  is  found  in  the  eigh- 
teenth chapter  of  the  Acts.  When  the  Jews  at  Corinth  had  brought 
J>aul  before  Gallio,  and  Gallio  had  dismissed  their  complaint  as  un- 
vorthy  of  his  interference,  and  had  driven  them  from  the  judgment 
seat;  "  then  all  the  Greeks,"  says  the  historian, "  tcok  Sosthenes,  the 
•»  chief  ruler  of  the  synagogue,  and  beat  him  before  the  judgment 
•*  seat."  The  Sosthenes  ?iere  spoken  cf  was  a  Corinthian  *,  and  if  he 
was  a  Christian,  and  with  St.  Paul  when  he  wrote  this  epistle,  was 
likely  enough  to  be  jwned  with  him  in  the  salutation  of  the  Corinthi^ 
m  cbuK-h.    But  here  occurs  a  difS^ulty.    If  Sosthenes  was  a  ChiiS" 


TO  THE    COIWNTHIANS.  5« 

No,  /X 

Cliap.  xvi.  10,  II.  "  Now,  if  Timotheus  come,  let  no 
**  man  despise  him."  Why  despise  him  ?  This  charge  is 
not  given  concerning  any  other  messenger  whom  St.  Paul 
sent ;  and,  in  the  diiferent  epistles,  many  such  messengers 
are  mentioned.  Turn  to  i  Timothy,  chap.  iv.  12,  and 
you  will  find  that  Timothy  was  a  young  man^.  younger 
probably  than  those  who  were  usually  employed  in  the 
Christian  mission  ;  and  that  St.  Paul,  apprehending  lest 
he  should,  on  tiiat  account,  be  exposed  to  contempt,  urges 

tian   at  the  time  of  this  uproar,  why  should  the  Greeks  beat  him  ! 
The  assault  upon  the  Christians  was  made  by  the  Jews.  It  was  the^fttvf 
who  had  brought  Paul  before  tlie  magistrate.  If  it  had  been  the  Jews 
also  who  had  beaten  Sosthenes,    I  should  not  have  doubted  but  that 
he  had  been  a  favourer  of  St.  Paul,  and  the  same  person  who  is  join- 
ed with  him   in  the  epistle.     Let  us  see  therefore  whether  there  be 
not  some  error  in  our  present  text.     The  Alexandrian  manuscripC 
gives  TTtcvrti  alone,  without  01  'EAAn*!?  and  is   followed   in   thif 
reading  by  the  Coptic  version,  by  the  Arabic  version,  publisded  by 
Erpenius»  by  the  Vulgate,  and  by  Bede's  Latin  version.      Three 
Greek  manuscripts  again,  as  well  as  Ghrisostom,  giVe   eilov^xioc 
in  the  place  of*  o'    EAAjgyeff.      A  great  plurality  of  manuscripts  au- 
thorize the  reading  which  is  retained  in  our  copies.     In  this  variety 
it  appeals  to  me  extremely  probable  that  the  historian  originally  wrote 
v»9T9i  alone,  and  that  »<  'EXP^nng,  and  oi  lov^aioi  have  been  respec- 
tively addtdas  wcplanatory  of  what  the  word  TirecvTig  was  supposed  ta 
moan.    The  sentence,  without  the  addition  of  either  name,  would  runt 
very  perspicuously  thus,    "  Kow  ccm^icAcriv  eturovs  xtfo  rev  fitiftcttoq" 
**  6'?rt?^.xtcf>c6vot  ^6   TFxixiq    'LuKrhyvn*   ta   u^^icrvrxye^yovt   iruTFTCf' 
'*  ucTT^ao'det  rev  fiijfAurc^*  and  he  drove  them  away  from  the  judg- 
«*  ment  seat ;  aad  they  all,"  viz.  the  crowd  of  Jews  whom  the  Judges 
bad  bid  begone,  "  took  Sosthenes,  and  beat  him  before  the  judgment 
**  seat."     It  is  tertain  thiit,  as  the  whole  body  of  the  people  were 
Greeks,  the  application  of  aU  to  them  is  unusual  and  hard.     If  I  wat 
describing  an  insurrection  at  Paris,  I  might  say  all  the   Jews  aU  the 
Protestants,  or  all  the  English  acted  so  and  so ;  but  I   sliould  scarcely 
«ay  all  the  French,  whdn  the  whole  mass  of  the  community  were  oif 
that  description.    As  what  is  here    offered  is  founded  upon  a  various 
reading,  and  that  in  opposition  to  the  greater  part  of  the  macuscripts 
that  are  extant,  I  have  nor  given  it  a  place  in  the  text. 


$2  THE    FIRST    EPISTLB 

upon  him  the  caution  which  is  there  inserted,  "  Let  naxnacta 
**  despise  the  youth»" 

No.  X, 

Ghap.  xvi.  I,  "  Now  concerning  the  collection  for  the 
*'  saints,  as  I  have  given  order  to  the  churches  of  Galatia, 
*'  even  so  do  ye." 

The  churches  of  Galatia  and  Phrygia  were  the  last 
churches  which  St.  Paul  had  visited  before  the  writing  of 
this  epistle.  He  was  now  at  Ephesus,  and  hexame  thith^ 
er  immediately  from  visiting  these  churches.  "  He  went 
"**  over  all  the  country  of  Galatia  and  Phrygia,  in  order, 
**  strengthening  all  the  disciples.  And  it  came  to  pass 
**  that  Paul  having  passed  through  the  upper  coasts,"  (viz* 
the  abovenamed  countries,  called  the  upper  coast,  as  being, 
tlie  northern  part  of  Asia  Minor), ,  "  came  to  Ephesus.'* 
Acts  xviil.  23  ;  xix.  i.  These  therefore,  probably,  were, 
the  last  churches  at  which  he  had  left  directions  for  their: 
public  conduct  during  his  absence.  Although  two  years 
intervened  between  his  journey  to  Ephesus,  and  his  writ- 
ing this  epistle,  yet  It  does  not  appear  that  during  that  time, 
he  visited  any  other  church.  That  he  had  not  been  silent, 
when  he  was  in  Galatia,  upon  this  subject  of  contribution, 
for  the  poor,  is  further  made  out  from  a  hint  which  he  lets- 
fall  in  his  epistle  to  that  church.  "  Only  they  (viz.  the 
*'  other  apostles)  would  that  we  should  remember  the 
<*  poor,  tlie  same  also  which  I  was  forward  to  do." 

No,  Xh 

Chap.  Iv.  18.  "  Now,  some  are  puffed  up,  as  though! 
**^  I  would  not  come  unto  you." 

Why  should  they  suppose  that  he  would  not  come? 
Turn  to  the  first  chapter  of  the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Co. 
ri'nthlans,  and  you  will  find  that  he  had  zhtdidj  disappoint' 
ed  them.  "  I  was  minded  to  come  unto  you  before,  that 
**  you  might  have  a  second  benefit ;   and  to  pass  by  you. 


TOTHfe    CdftllfTHlANSr-  ^1 

"imo  Macedonia,  and  to  come  again  Outdf  Macedoniii 
**  unto  you,  and  of  you  to  be  brbught  on  my  way  toward 
"  Judea.  When  I,  therefore,  was  thus  minded,  did  I  use 
"  lig'htness  ?  Or  the  things  that  I  purpose,  do  I  purpose  ac- 
"  cording  to  the  flesh,  that  with  me  there  should  be  yea, 
**  yea,  and  nay,  nay  ?  But,  as -God  is  true,  our  word  to- 
"  ward  you  was  not  yea  and  nay.'*  It  appears  from  this 
quotation,  that  he  had  not  only  intended,  but  that  he  had 
pi^cMttised  tliem  a  visit  before  ;  for,  otiier wise,  why  should- 
li^  apologize  for  the  cliange  of  his  purpose,  or  express  so 
much  anxiety  le^t  this  change  should  be  imputed  to  any 
culpable  iickkness  in  his  temper:;  and  lest  he  should  there- 
by seem  to  them,  as  one  whose  word  was  not,  in  any  sort, 
to  be  depended  upon?  Besides  which,  the  terms  made 
use  of,  plainly  refer  to  a  promise ;"  Our  word  toward  you 
**  "Was  not  yea  and  nay."  St.  Paul  therefore  had  signifi- 
es an  irttehtion  which  he -had  not  been  able  to  execute  St 
and  this  seeming  breach  tif  his  word,  and  the  delay  df  his 
visit,  bad,  with  some  who  were  evil  affected  towards  him> 
given  birth  to  a  suggestion  that  he  would  come  ao  more 
to  Corinth. 

No.  XIL 

Chap.  V.  7,  8.  "  For  even  Christ,  our  passeveris  sac- 
"  rificed  for  us  ;  therefore  let  us  keep  the  feast,  not  with 
"  the  old  leaven,  neither  with  the  leaven  of  malace  and 
'*  wickedness,  but  with  the  unleavened  bread  of  sincerity 
«*  and  truth." 

Dr.  Benson  tells  us,  that  from  this  passage,  compared 
with  chapter  xvi.  8,  it  has  been  conjectured  that  this  epis- 
tle was  written  about  the  time  of  the  Jewish  passover  j 
and  to  me  the  conjecture  appears  to  have  been  very  well 
founded.  The  passage  to  which  Dr.  Benson  refers  us  is 
this  ;  "  I  will  tarry  at  Ephesus  until  Pentecost."  With 
this  passage  he  ought  to  have  joined  another  in  the  same 
eoatext  \  «  And  it  may  be  tliat  I  will  abide,  yea,  and  wia- 


^4  TBI    rmST    EPISTLE    &C» 

<«  ter  with  you  ;'*  for,  from  the  two  passages  laid  togeth- 
er, it  follows  that  the  epistle  was  written  before  Pentecost^ 
yet  after  winter  5  which  necessarily  determines  the  d^tc 
to  the  part  of  the  year,  within  which  the  passover  falls.  It- 
was  written  before  Pentecost,  because  he  says,  "  I  will 
«*  tarry  at  Ephesus  until  Pentecost."  It  was  written  after- 
winter,  because  he  tells  them,  "  It  may  be  that  I  may 
"  abide,  yea,  and  winter  with  you."  The  winter  which , 
the  apostle  purposed  to  pass  at  Corinth,  was  undoubtedly ; 
the  winter  next  ensuing  to  the  date  of  the  epistle ;  yet  it  was 
a  winter  subsequent  to  the  ensuing  Pentecost,  because  he- 
did  not  intend  to  set  forwards  upon  his  journey  till  after  the. 
feast.  The  words, "  let  us  keep  the  feast,  not  with  old  leav- 
«  en,  neither  with  the  leaven  of  malice  and  wickedness,  but- 
**  with  the  unleavened  bread  of  sincerity  and  truth,"  loolc 
▼cry  like  words  suggested  by  the  season ;  at  least  they 
have,  upon  that  supposition,  a- force  and  significancy 
which  do  not  belong  to  them  upon  any  other ;  and  it  is. 
n©t  a  little  remarkable,  that  the  hints  casually  dropped  in, 
the  epistle,  concerning  particular  parts  of  the  year,  should, 
coincide  with  this  supposition. 


CHAP.  IV. 

THE  SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE  CORINTHIANS; 

No.  L 

1  WILL  not  say  that  it  is  impossible,  having  seen  the 
First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  to  construct  a  second 
with  ostensible  allusions  to  the  first ;  or  that  it  is  impos- 
sible that  both  should  be  fabricated,  so  as  to  carry  on  an 
order  and  continuation  of  story,  by  successive  references 
to  the  same  events.  But  I  say,  that  this,  in  either  case, 
must  be  the  effect  of  craft  and  design.  Whereas,  whoev- 
er examines  the  allusions  to  the  former  epistle  which  he 
finds  in  this,  whilst  he  will  acknowledge  them  to  be  such 
as  would  rise  spontaneously  to  the  hand  of  the  writer, 
from  the  verjr  subject  of  the  correspondence,  and  the  situ- 
ation of  the  corresponding  parties,  supposing  these  to  be 
real,  will  see  no  particle  of  reason  to  suspect,  either  that 
the  clauses  containing  these  allusions  were  insertions  for 
the  purpose,  or  tliat  the  several  transactions  of  the  Co- 
rinthian church  were  feigned,  in  order  to  form  a  train  of 
narrative,  or  to  suppprt  the  appearance  of  connection  be* 
tween  the  two  epistles.  -  .         . 

I.  In  the  First  Epistle,  St.  Paul  announces  his  intention  ■ 
of  passing  through  Macedonia,  in  his  way  to  Corinth  % 
"  I  will  come  to  you  when  I  shall  pass  through  Macedo- 
**  nia."  In  the  Second  Epistle,  we  find  him  arrived  in 
Macedonia,  and  about  to  pursue  his  journey  to  Corinth. 
But  observe  the  manner  in  which  this  is  made  to  appear ; 
"  I  know  the  forwardness  of  your  mind,  for  which  I  boast 
"  of  you  to  them  of  Macedonia,  that  Achaia  was  ready  a 
"  year  ago,  and  your  zeal  had  provoked  very  many ;  yet 
•*  have  I  sent  the  brethren,  lest  our  hosting  of  you  should 
"  be  in  vain  in  this  behalf ;  that,  as  I  said,  ye  may  be 
"  ready,,  lest  haply,  if  they  of  Macedonia  come  with  me 
1^  and  find  you  unprepared;  we  (that  we  say  not  you)  be 


56  THE    SECOND    EPISTLE 

<«  ashamed  in  this  same  confident, boa  sting."  (-Chap.  ix. 
2,  3,  4.)  St.  Paul's  being  in 'Macedonia  at  the  time  of 
writing  the  epistle,  is,  in  this  passage,  inferred  only  .from 
his  saying,  that  he  had  boasted  to  the  Macedonians  of  the 
alacrity  of  his  Achaian  converts  ;  and  the  fear  which  he 
expresses,  lest,  if  any  of  the  Macedonian  Christians  should 
come  with  him  unto  Achaia,they  should  find  his  boasting 
unwarranted  by  the  event.  The  business  of  the  contribution 
is  the  sole  cause  of  mentioriing'Macedonia  at  all.  Will  it  be 
insinuated  that  this  passage  was  framed  merely  to  state  that 
St; 'Paul  was  now  in  Macedonia  ;  and,  by  that  statement, 
to  produce  an  apparent  agreement  with  the  purpose  of 
visiting  Macedonia,  notified  in  the  First  Epistle?  Or  will 
it  be  thought  probable,  that,  if  a  sophist  had  meant  to  place 
St.  Paul  in  Macedonia,  for  the  sake  of  giving  countenance 
to  his  forgery,  he  would  h^ve  done  it  in  so  oblique  a  man- 
ner as  through  the  medium  of  the  eoutribution  ?  The 
same  thing  may  be  observed  of  another  text  in  iko  epistle, 
in  which  the  name  of  Macedonia  occurs  ;  **  Further- 
«  more,  when  I  came  to  Troas  to  preach  the  gospel,  and 
**  a  door  was  opened  unto  me  of  the  Lord,  I  had  no. rest 
•*  in  my  spirit,  because  I  found  not  Titus,  my  brother  ; 
•«  but  taking  my  leave  of  them,  I  went  from  thence  into 
«  Macedonia.'*  I  mean,  that  it  may  be  observed  of  this 
passage  also,  that  there  is  a  reason  for  mentioning  Macedo- 
nia, entirely  distinct  from  the  purpose  of  showing  St. 'Paul 
to  be  there.  Indeed,  if  the  passage  before  us  show  that 
point  at  all,  it  shov/s  it  so  obscurely,  that  Grotius,  though 
he  did  not  doubt  that  Paul  was  now  in  Macedonia,  refers 
this  text  to  a  different  journey.  Is  this  the  hand  of  a  forg- 
er, meditating  to  establish  a  false  conformity  ?  The  text, 
however,  in  which  it  is  most  strongly  implied  that  St.  Paiil 
wrote  the  present  epistle  from  Macedonia,  is  found  in  the 
fourth,  .fifth,  and  sixth  verses  of  the  seventh  chapter  ;  **  I 
«  am  filled  with  comfort,  I  am  exceeding  joyful  in  all  our 
<«  tribulation  j   for,  when  ws  "v^^ere  come. into  Macedonia^ 


Ta  THE    CORINTHIAWS*  57 

"*our  flesh  had  no  rest;  without  were  fightings,  wlthia 
**  were  fears ;  nevertheless,  God  that  comforteth  those  that 
*♦  are  cast  down,  comforted  us  by  the  coming  of  Titus.** 
Yet  even  here,  I  tliink,noone  will  contend,  that  St.  Paul's 
coming  to  Macedonia, .  or  being*  in  Macedonia,  was  the 
principal  thing  intended  to  be  told;  or  that  the  telling  of 
it,  indeed,  was  any;  part  of,  the  intention  with  which  the 
text  was  written ; .  or  that  the  mention  even  of  the  name 
of  Macedonia  was  not  purely  incidental,  in  the  descrip* 
tion  of  those  tumultuous  sorrows  with  which  the  writer's 
mind  had  been  lately  agitated,  and  from  which  he  was 
relieved  by  the  coming  of  Titus.  The  five  first  verses  of 
tlie  eighth  chapter,  which  commend  the  liberality  of  the 
Macedonian  churches,  do  not,  in  ray  opinion,  by  tliem-. 
selves,  prove  St.  Paul  to  have  been  in  Macedonia  at  the^ 
time  of  writing  the  epistle. . 

2. .  In  the  First  Epistle,  St.  Paul  denounces  a  seveie  cen-* 
sure  against  an  incestuous  marriage,  which  had  taken  place 
amongst  the  Corinthian  converts,  with  the  connivance,  not 
to  say  with  the  approbation,  of  the  church ;  and  enjoins  the. 
church  to  purge  itself  of  this  scandal,  byexpelling  the  offen* 
derfrom  its  society.  **  It  Is  reportedcommonly,  that  there  is 
•<  fornication  among  you,  and  -such  fornication,  as  is  not  sa 
"  much  as  named  amongst  the  Gentiles,  that  one  should 
<*  have  his  father's  wife ;  and  ye  are  puffed  up,  and  have  not 
"  rather  mourned,  that  he  that  hath  done  this  deed  might 
"  be  taken  away  from  among  you  ;  for  I,  verily,  as  absent 
"  in  body,  but  present  in  spirit,  have  judged  already,  as 
*<  tlioug-h  I  were  present,  concerning  him  that  hath  sa 
**  done  tliis  deed;  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
"  when  ye,  are  gathered  together,  and  my  spirit,  with  tlie 
<*  power  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  deliver  such  a  one 
«  unto  Satan  for  the  destruction  of  the  flesh,  that  the  spir- 
"  it  may  be  saved  in  the  day  of  the  Lord."  (Chap^  v, 
1—5.)  In  the  Second  Epistle,  we  find  this  sentence  ex. 
ecuted,  and  the  offender  to  be  so  affected  with  the  pun* 
ishment,  that  St,  Paul  now  intercedes  for  his  restoration^ 


5?  THE   SECOND   EPreTtt 

"  Sufficient  to  such  a  man  is  this  punishment,  which  was 
<*  inflicted  of  many ;    so  that,  contrawise,  ye  ought  rath- 
**  er  to  forgive  him  and  cbmfbrt  him,  kst  perhaps  such  a 
**  one  should  be   swallowed  up  with  overmuch  sorrow ; 
•*  wherefore  I  beseech  you,tliat  ye  would  confirm  your  love 
«  towards  him.'* ('2  Cor.  chap.  ii.  7,  8.) Is  this  whole  busi- 
ness feigned  for  the  sake  of  carrying  on  a  continuation  of 
Story  through  the  two  epistles  ?  The  church  also,  no  less 
than  the  offender,  was  brought  by  St.  Paulas  reproof  to  a 
deep  sense  of  the  impropriety  of  their  conduct.      Their 
fyenitence,  and   their  respect  to  his  authority,  were,  as 
might  be  expected,  exceedingly  grateful  to  St.  Paul.  "  We 
**^  were  comforted  not  by  Titus's  coming  only,  but  by  the 
**  consolation  wherewith  he  was  comforted  in  you,  when 
**  he  told  us  your  earnest  desire,  your  mourning,  yourfer- 
**  vent  mind  towards  me,  so  tiiat  I  rejoiced  the  more  ; 
^  for  though  I  made  you  sorry  with  a  letteri  I  do  not  re- 
**  pent,  though  I  did  repent ;  for  I  perceive  that  the  same 
•*  episde  made  you  sorry,  diough  it  were  but  for  a  season. 
•*  Now  I  rejoice,  not  that  ye  were  made  sorry  but  that  ye 
**  sorfowed  to  repentance  ;    for  ye  were  made  sorry  after 
**  a  godly  manner,  that  ye  might  receive  damage  by  us 
**  in  nothing."  (Chap.  vii.  7-^9)  That  this  passage  is  to 
be  referred  to  the  incestuous  marriage,  is  proved  by  the 
twelfth  verse  of  the  same  chapter.     "Though  I   wrote 
**  unto  you,  I  did  it  not  for  his  cause  that  had  done  the 
*  wrbng,  nor  for  his  cause  that  suflFered  wrong  ;  but  that 
•*  oar  care  for  you  in  the  sight  of  God,  might  appear  un- 
**  to  you. "     There  were,  it  is  true,  various  topics  of  blame 
noticed  in  the  First  Epistle  ;  but  there  was  none,  except 
this  of  the  incestuous  marriage,  which  could  be  called  a 
transaction  between  private  parties,  or  df  which  it  could 
be  said  that  one  particular  person  had  "done  the  vrrong," 
and  another  particular  person  *'  had  suffered  it."     Could 
all   this  be  without  foundation  ?    or  could  it  be  piit  into 
the  second  epistle,  merely  to  furnish  an  obscure  sequel 


TO    TBE    COWNTHIAKS-  fjl 

•to  what  had  been  saiid^outan  incestuausjiiarrlageinthe 
.first? 

3.  Ip  the  sixteenth  chapter  of  the  First  Epistle,  a  col- 
lection for  the  saints  is  recommended  xo  be  set  forwards  at 
Corinth.     "  Now,  concerning  the  collection  for  the  saints* 
«'  as  I  have  given  order  to  the  churches  of  Galatia,  so  da 
*<  ye."     (Chap.  xyi.  i,.)     In  the  ninth  chapter  of  the  SgC''^ 
ond  Epistle,  such  a.  collection  is  spoken   of,  as  in  readl-. 
ness  to  be  received.      *'  As  touching  the  ministering  to 
'*  the  saints,  it  is  superfluous  for  me  to  ^write  to  you,  for  I 
"  know  the  forwardness  of  ypur  mind,  for  which  I  boast 
*'  of  you  to  tliem  of  Macedonia,  that  Achaia  was  ready  a 
**  year  ago,  and  your  zeal  hath  provoked  very  many." 
(Chap.  ix.  J,  2,')  This  is  such  a  continuation  of  the  trans- 
action as  might  be  expected;  or  possibly  it  w^il  be  said, 
as  might  easily  be  counterfeited^  but  there  is  a  circum- 
stance of  nicety  in  the  agreement  between  the  two  epistles, 
which,  I  am  convinced,  the  author  of  a  forgery  would  not 
have  hit  upon,  or  which,  if  he  had  hit  upon  it,  he  would 
liave  ^et  forth  with  more  clearness*     The  Second  Epistle 
speaks  of  the  Corinthians  as  having  begun  this  eleemosy- 
nary business  a  year  before-*      **  This  is  expedient  for  you, 
**  who  have  begun  before,  not  only  to  do,  but  also  to  be 
"forward  a  year  ago."     (Chap.  viii.   10.)     **  I  boast 
"*  of  you  to  them  of  Macedonia,  that  Achaia  was  ready  a 
<*  year  ago."     (Chap.  ix.  2.)     From  these  texts.it  is  ev- 
ident, that  something  had  been  done  in  the  business  a 
year  before*     It  appears,  however,  from  other  texts  in  the 
epistle,  that  the  contribution  was  not  yet  collected  or  paid ; 
for  brethren  were  sent  from  to  Corinth,  "  to  make  up 
«  their  bounty."      ^Chap,  ix.  5.)      They  are  urged  to 
**  perform  the  doing  of  it."     (Chap.  viii.  11.)     "  And 
**  every  man  was  exhorted  to  give  as  he  porposed  in  his 
»*  heart."     (Chap,  ix  7.)      The  contribution,  therefore, 
as  represented  in  our  present  epistle,  was  in  readiness,  yet 
not  received  from  the  contributors  ;    was  begun,  was  for- 
ward long  before,  yet  not  hitherto  collected.     Now  this 


'60  THE    SECOND   EplSTHE 

representation  agrees  with  one,  and  only  with  one  sup- 
position, namely,  that  every  man  had  laid  by  in  store,  had 
already  provided  the  fund,  from  which  he  was  after- 
wards to  contribute — the  very  case  which  the  First 
Epistle  authorizes  us  to  supppse  to  have  existed  ;  for  in 
that  epistle  St.  Paul  had  charged  the  Corinthians,  "  upon 
«  the  first  day  of  the  week,  every  one  of  them  lay  by  in 
«*  store  as  God  had  prospered  him."*  (i  Cor.  chap. 
xvi.  2.) 

*  The  following  observations  will  satisfy  us  con  cerning  the  purity 
of  our  apostle's  conduct  in  the  suspicious  business  of  a  pecuniary  con» 
tributlon. 

1.  He  disclaims  the  having  received  any  Inspired  authority  for  the 
directions  which  he  is  giving.  "  I  speak  not  by  the  commandment, 
"  but  by  occasion  of  the  forwardness  of  others,  and  to  prove  the  sin- 
*'  cerity  of  your  love."  {z  Gor.  chap.  viii.  8.)  Who,  that  had  a  sin- 
ister purposes  to  answer  by  the  recommending  of  subscriptions, 
would  thus  distinguish,  and  thus  lower  the  credit  of  his  own  recom- 
mendation ? 

a.  Although  he  asserts  the  general  right  of  Christian  ministers  to 
a  maintenance  from  their  ministry',  yet  he  protests  against  the  making 
Hse  of  this  right  in  his  own  person.  "  Even  so  hath  the  Lord  ordain- 
"  ed,  that  they  which  preach  the  gospel  should  live  of  the  gospel ;  but 
"  I  have  used  none  of  these  things,  neither  have  I  written  these  things 
"  that  It  should  be  so  done  unto  me  ;  for  it  were  better  for  me  to  die, 
**  than  that  any  man  should  make  my  glorying,  i.  e.  my  professions 
"  of  disinterestedness,  void."     (i  Cor.  chap.  ix.  14,  ij.) 

3.  He  repeatedly  purposes  that  there  should  be  associates  with  him- 
self in  the  management  of  the  public  bounty  ;  not  colleagues  of  his 
cwn  appointment ;  but  persons  elected  for  that  purpose  by  the  con- 
tributors themselves.  "  And  when  1  Come,  whomsoever  ye  shall  ap- 
"  prove  by  your  letters,  them  will  I  send  to  bring  your  liberality  un^ 
••  to  Jerusalem ;  and  if  it  be  meet  that  I  go  also,  they  shall  go  with 
••  me.'*  (i  Cor.  chap.  xvi.  3,  4.)  And  In  the  Second  Epistle,  what 
is  here  proposed,  -^'e  find  actually  done,  aftd  done  for  the  very  purpose 
Cf  guarding  his  cbaractef  agaJ-nst  any  imputation  that  might  be  brought 
upon  it,  in  the  discharge  of  a  pecuniary  trust.  "  And  we  have  sent 
"  with  him  the  brother,  whose  praise  is  in  the  gospel  throughout  all 
"  the  churches ;  and  not  that  only,  but  who  was  also  chosen  of  the 
*'  churches  to  travel  with  us  with  this  grace  (gift)  which  is  adminis- 
f  tered  to  Us  to  the  glory  of  the  samfc  Lord,  aird  the  declaration  6f 


I 


1^    THE    CORINTHIANS. 


61 


No.  II. 
In  comparing  the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians 
\7ith  the  Acts  of  tlie  Apostles,  we  are  soon  brought  to  ob- 
serve, not  only  that  there  exists  no  vestige  either  of  the 
.epistle  having  been  taken  from  the  history,  or  the  history 
from  the  epistle  ;  but  also  that  there  appears  in  the  con- 
tents, of  the  epistle  positive  evidence,  tliat  neither  was  bor- 
rowed from  the  other.  Titus,  who  bears  a  conspicuous 
part  in  the  epistle,  is  not  mentioned  in  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  at  all.  St.  Paul's  sufferings,  enumerated,  chap, 
xi.  24,  <^of  the  Jews  five  times  received  I  forty  stripes 
**  save  one  ;  thrice  was  1  beaten  with  rods  ;  once  was  I 
**  stoned ;  thrice  I  suffered  shipwreck  j  a  night  and  a 
**  day  I  have  been  in  the  deep,"  cannot  be  made  out  from 
his  history,  as  delivered  in  the  Acts,  nor  would  this  ac- 
count have  been  given  by  a  writer,  who  either  drew  his 
knowledge  of  St.  Paul  from  that  history,  or  who  was -care- 
ful to  preserve  a  conformity  with  it.  The  account  in  the 
epistle,  of  St  PauPs  escape  from  Damascus,  though  agree- 
ing in  the  main  fact  with  tlie  account  of  the  same  trans- 
action in  the  Acts,  is  related  with  such  difference  of  cir- 
cumstance, as  renders  it  utterly  improbable  that  one 
should  be  derived  from  the  other.  Tlie  two  accounts, 
placed  by  the  side  of  each  other  stand  as  follow ; 


2,  Cor.  chap.  xi.  32,  33. 
**  In  Damascus,  the  gov- 
**  ernor  under  Aretas  the 
**  king,  kept  the  city  of  the 
**  Damascenes  with  a  gar- 
**  rison,  desirous  to  appre- 
"  hend  me  ;  and  through  a 
"  window  in  a  basket  was  I 
**  let  down  by  the  wall,  and 
**  escaped  his  hands.*' 


Acts,  chap.  ix.  23^—25'. 
"  And  after  many  days 
"  were  fulfilled,  the  Jews 
"  took  counsel  to  kill  him  ; 
"  but  their  laying  in  wait 
"  was  known  of  Saul,  and 
"  they  watched  the  gates 
**  day  and  night  to  kill  him  ; 
"  then   the    disciples    took 


**  him  by  night,  and  let  him 
"  down  by  the  wall  in  a  bas- 
il u  ket.'^ 

**  your  ready  mind  ;  avoiding  this,  that  no  nlan  should  blame  us  in 
"  this  abundance  which  is  ajdministered  by  us ;  providing  for  things 
^<  honest,  not  only  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  but  also  in  the  eight  of 


62. 


THE    SECOND    EPISTLS; 


Now  If  we  be  satisfied  in  general  concerning  these  two 
ancient  writings,  that  the  one  was  not  known  to  the  wri- 
ter of  the  other,  or  not  consulted  by  him ;  then  the  ac- 
cordances, which  may  be  pointed  out  between  them,  will 
admit  of  ao  solution  so  probable,  as  the  attributing  of 
th^em  to.tnith  and  reality,  as  their  common  fou^dation. 

No.  IlL 

The  opening  of  this  epistle  exhibits  si  connection 
with  the  history,  which  alone  would  satisfy  my  mind,  that 
the  epistle  was  written  by  St.  Paul,  and  by  St.  Paul  in 
the  situation  in  which  the  history  places  him.  Let  it  be 
rerasm.bered,  that  in  the  nineteenth  chapter  of  the  Acts> 
St.  Paul  is  represented  as  driven  away  from  Epliesua,  or 
as  leaving  however  Ephesus,  in  consequence  of  an  up- 
roar in  that  city,  excited  by  some  interested  adversaries  of 
the  new  religion.  The  account  of  the  tumult  is  as  fol- 
lows. "  When  they  heard  these  sayings,"  viz.  Deme- 
trius's  complaint  of  the  danger  to  be  apprehended  from  St. 
Paulas  ministry  to  the  established  worship  of  the  Ephe- 
sian  goddess,  **  they  were  full  of  wrath,  and  cried  out^ 
**  saying.  Great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians,  and  the  whole 
<*  city  was  filled  with  confusion  j .  and  having  caught 
^*  Gaius  and  Aristarchus,  Paul's  companions  in  travel,  they 
<'  rushed  with  one  accord  into  the  theatre ;  and  when 
**  Paul  would  have  entered  In  unto  the  people,  the  disci- 
**  pies  suffered  him  not  ;  and  certain  of  the  chief  of  Asia, 
<*  which,  were  his  friends,  sent  unto  him,  desiring  that  he 
«'  would  not  adventure  himself  into  the  theatre.  Some, 
«*  therefore,  cried  one  thing,  and  some  another  ;  for  the 
**  assembly  was  confused,  and  the  more  part  knew  not- 
<<  wherefore  they  were  come  together.  And  they  drew 
«  Alexander  out  of  the  multitude,  the  Jews  putting  him 

"  men  ;**  1.  e.  "  not  refiting  In  the  consciousness  of  our  own  Integrity, 
"but,  in  such  a  subject,  careful  also  to  approve  our  integrity  to  the 
(a  Cor.  chap.  viii.  i8— Zi.) 


TO    THE    CORINTHIANS.  <^3 

<*  forward ;  and  Alexander  beckoned  with  his  hand,  and 
«  would  have  made  his  defence  unto  the  people  ;  but, 
<^  when  they  knew  that  he  was  a  Jew,  all  with  one  voice, 
<*  about  the  space  of  two  hours,  cried  out.  Great  is  Diana 
<*  of  the  Ephesians.  And  after  the  uproar  was  ceased, 
<*  Paul  called  unto  him  the  disciples,  and  embraced  them, 
**  and  departed  for  to  go  into  Macedonia.'*  When  he 
was  arrived  in  Macedonia  he  wrote  the  Second  Epistle 
to  the  Corinthians  which  is  now  before  us  ;  and  he  be- 
gins his  epistle  in  tills  wise,  **  Blessed  be  God,  even  the 
**  father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  father  of  mercies 
**  and  the  God  of  all  comfort,  who  comforteth  us  in  all 
«<  iour  tribulation,  that  we  may  be  able  to  comfort  them 
««  which  are  in  any  trouble,  by  the  comfort  wherewith 
**  we  ourselves  are  comforted  of  God.  For,  as  the  suf- 
•*  ferings  of  Christ  abound  in  us,  so  our  consolation  also 
**  aboundeth  by  Christ  ;  and  whether  we  be  afflicted,  it 
<*  is  for  your  consolation  and  salvation,  which  is  effectual  ift 
^*  the  enduring  of  the  same  sufferings,  which  we  also  suf- 
<'  fer;  or  whether  we  be  comforted,  it  is  for  your  consolation 
«  and  sal-cation;  and  our  hope  of  you  is  steadfest,  know- 
"  ing  that,  as  ye  are  partakers  of  the  sufferings,  so  shall 
«  ye  be  also  of  the  consolation.  For  we  would  not> 
«<  bretliren,  have  you  ignorant  of  our  trouble  *iuhic/j  camt 
*'  to  us  in  Asm,  that  we  were  pressed  out  of  measure,  a- 
** -bove  strength,  insomuch  that  we  despaired  even  of  life; 
*<  but  we  had  the  sentence  of  death  in  ourselves,  that  we 
"  should  not  trust  in  ourselves,  but  in  God  which  raises 
«  the  dead,  who  delivered  us  from  so  great  a  death,  and 
"  doth  deliver  ;  in  whom  we  trust  that  he  will  yet  deliver 
*<  us.'*  Nothing  could  be  more  expressive  of  the  circum- 
stances in  which  the  history  describes  St.  Faul  to  have 
been,  at  the  time  when  the  epistle  pur  ports  to- be  written ; 
or  rather,  nothing  could  be  more  expressive  of  the  sensa- 
tions arising  from  these  circumstances,  than  this  passage,'. 
It  is  the  calm  recollection  of  a  mind  emerged  from  the 
confusion  of  instant  danger.    It  is  tliat.devotbn  aad  so- 


^4  THE    SECOND   EPISTLE 

lemnlty  of  thought,  which  follows  a  recent  deliverance. 
There  is  just  enough  of  particularity  in  the  passage,   tO' 
show,  that  It  is  to  be  referred  to  the  tumult  at  Ephesus  ;- 
«'  We  would  not,  brethren,  have  you  ignorant  of  our  troub- 
**  le  which  came  to  us  in  Asia/'     And  there  is  nothing 
tnore ;  no  mention  of  Demetrius,  of  the  seizure  of  St. 
Paul's  friends,  of  the  interference  of  the  town  clerk,  of  the 
occasion  or  nature  of  the  danger  which  St.  Paul  had  esca- 
ped, or  even  of  the  city  where  it  happened  ;    in  a  word, 
no  recital  frorti  which  a  suspicion  could  be  conceived,  ei- 
ther that  the  author  of  the  epistle  had  made  use  of  the  nar- 
rative in  the  Acts ;    or  on  the  other  hand,  that  he  had' 
sketched  the  outline,  which  the  narrative  in  the  Acts  only 
£Iled  up.     That  the  forger  of  an  epistle,  under  the  namer 
of  St.  Paul,  should  borrow  circumstances  from  a -history 
of  St.   Paul  then  extant  ;  or,  that  the  author  of  a  history^ 
of  St.   Paul  should  gather  materiab  from  letters  bearings 
St.  Paul's  name,  may  be  credited  ;   but  I  cannot  believe 
that  any  forger  whatever  should,  fall  upon  an  expedient  scy^ 
refined,  as  to  exhibit  sentiments  adapted  to  a  situation, 
and  to  leave  his  readers  to  seek  out  that  situation  from- 
the  history  ;  still  less,  that  the  author  of  a  history  should 
go  about  to  frame  facts  and  circumstances,  fitted  to  sup- 
ply the  sentiments  which  he  found  in  the  letter.     It  may 
be  saidi  perhaps,  that  it  does-  not  appear  from  the  history,- 
that  any  danger  threatened  St.  Paul's  life  in  the  uproar  at- 
Ephesus,  so  Imminent  as  that,  from  which  in  the  epistle^ 
he  represents  himself  to  have  been. delivered.     This  mat- 
ter it  is  true,  is  not  stated  by  the  historian  in.  form  ;    but' 
the  personal  danger  of  the  apostle,  we  cannot  doubt  must' 
have  been  extreme,  when  the  "  whole  city  was  filled  with- 
<«  confusion  f'*^  when  the  populace  had  *' seized  his  com* 
<*  panions ;  when  in  the  distraction  of  his  mind,  he  insist- 
ed  upon  "  coming   forth  amongst   them  ;"    when    the 
Christians  who  were  about  him  "  would  not  suffer  him  ;*' 
when  "  his  friends,  certain  of  the  chief  of  Asia,  sent  to  him 
««  desiring  that  he  would  not  adventure  himself  in  the  tu% 


TO    THl?    eORIKTHlANS.  65 

"  mult  ;'*  ^vhen,  lastly,  he  was  obliged  to  quit  immedi- 
ately tlid  place  and  tlie  country,  "  and,  when  the  tumult 
*'  was  oeased,  to  depart  into  Macedonia."  All  whicht 
paiticulars  atefoani  in  the  narration,  and  justify  St.  jPaul*s 
own  account,  **  that  he  was  pressed  out  of  measure,  above 
"  strength,  insomuch  that  he  dispaired  even  of  life,  that 
*'  he  had  the  sentence  of  death  in  himself;**  i.  e.  liiathe 
locked  upon  himself  as  a  man  condemned  to  die» 

No.ir. 

It  has  already  been,  remarked,  that  St.  Paul*s  original 
Intention  was  to  have  visited  Corinth  in  his  way  to  Mace- 
donia. "  I  was  minded  to  come  unto  you  before,  and  to 
**  pass  by  you  into  Macedonia."  2  Cor.  chap.  i.  15,  i6. 
It  has  also  been  remarked  that  he  changed  this  intention, 
and  ultimately  resolved  upon  going  through  Macedonia 
Jii"sf>  Now  upon  this  head  there  exists  a  circumstance  of 
correspondency  between  our  epistle  and  the  history,  which 
is  riot  very  obvious  to  the  reader's  observation ;  but  which» 
when  observed,  will  be  found,  I  think,  close  and  exact. 
Which  .circumstance  is  this;  that  though  the  change  of 
St.  Paul's  intention  be  expressly  mentioned  only  in  the  sec- 
ond epistle,  yet  it  appears,  both  from  the  history 
and  from  this  second  epistle,  that  the  change  had 
tdktxi  place  before  the  writing  of  tlie  first  epistle  ;  that 
it  appears  however  from  neither, otherwise  than  by  an  in- 
ference, unnoticed  perhaps  by  almost  every  one  who  doci 
not  sit  down  professedly  to  the  examination. 

First,  then,  how  does  this  point  appear  from  the  histo- 
ry ?  In  the  nineteenth  chapter  of  the  Acts  and  the  twen- 
ty first  verse,  we  are  told,  that  "  Paul  purposed  in  the 
"  spirit,  when  he  had  passed  tlirough  Macedonia  and 
<•'  Achaia,  to  go  to  Jerusalem.  So  he  sent  into  Macedo- 
"  nia  two  of  them  that  ministered  unto  him,  Timotheus- 
**  and  Erastus ;  but  he  himself  stayed  in  Asia  for  a  sea- 
**  son."     A  short  time  after  this,  and  evidently  in  pursu- 

aace  of  the  same  intention,  we  find  (chap,  xx.  .1..  2.)  that 
F  2         ^    -r  i 


65  THE     SECOND    EPISTLE 

<«  Paul  departed  from  Ephesus  for  to  go  into  Macedonia  j. 
*'  and  tliac,  when  he  had  gone  over  those  parts,  he  camo 
**  into  Greece."  The  resolution  therefore  of  passing  first 
through  Macedonia,  and  from  thence  into  Greece,  was 
formed  by  St.  Paul  previously  to  the  sending  away  of 
Timothy.  The  order  in  which  the  two  countries  are  men- 
tioned, shows  the  direction  of  his  intended  route,  "  when 
**  he  had  passed  tlirough  Macedonia  and  Achaia."  Tim* 
othy  and  Erastus,  who  were  to  precede  him  in  his  pro- 
gress, were  sent  by  him  from  Ephesus  into  Macedonia. 
He  himself  a  short  time  afterwards,  and,  as  hath  been  ob- 
served, evidently  in  continuation  and  pursuance  of  the 
same  design,  "  departed  for  to  go  into  Macedonia."  If 
he  had  ever  therefore  entertained  a  different  plan  of  his 
journey,  which  is  not  hinted  in  the  history,  he  must  have 
changed'  that  plan  before  this  time.  But,  from  the  i-yth 
verse  of  the  fourth  chapter  of  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Co- 
rinthians, we  discover,  that  Timothy  had  been  sent  away 
from  Ephesus  before  that  epistle  was  written..  "  For 
*'  this  cause  have  I  sent  unto  you  Timotheus  who  is  my 
**  beloved  son."  The  change  therefore  of  St.  Paul's  res- 
olution, which  was  prior  to  the  sending  awa/  Timothy^ 
was  necessarily  prior  to  the  writing  of  the  First  Epis- 
tle to  the  Corinthians. 

Thus  stands  the  order  of  dates,  as  collected  from  the 
history,  compared  with  the  First  Epistle.  Now  let  us 
enquire,  secondly,  how  this  matter  is  represented  in  Uie 
epistle  before  us.  In  the  sixteenth  verse  of  the  first  chap- 
ter of  this  epistle,  St.  Paul  speaks  of  the  intention  which 
iie  had  once  entertained  of  visiting  Achaia,  in  his  way  to 
M  acedonia.  "  In  this  confidence  I  was  minded  to  come 
**  unto  you  before,  that  ye  might  have  a  second  benefit  ; 
*«  and  to  pass  by  you  into  Macedonia."  After  protesting 
in  the  seveateenth  verse,  against  any  evil  construction  that 
might  be  put  upon  his  laying  aside  of  this  intention,  in  the 
twenty  third  verse  he  discloses  the  cause  of  it ;  "  Moreover 
*'  I  call  God  for  a  recgrd  upon  my  soul,  that,  to  spare 


TO    THE      C0R1NTH1AK9.  $7 

**■  you,  I  came  not  as  yet  unto  Gorinth."     And  then  he 
proceeds  as  follows ;    "  But  I   determined  this  with  my- 
**  self,  that  I  would  not  come  again  to  you  in  heaviness ; 
**  for  if  I  make  you  sorry,  who  is  he  then  that  makethma 
**  glad,  but  the  same  which  is  made  sorry  by  me  ?  And  1 
"  tvrote  this  same  unto  you,  lest  when  I  came  I  should  have 
"  sorrow  from  them  of  whom  I  ought  to  rejoice ;  having 
**  confidence  in  you  all,  that  my  joy  is  the  joy  of  you  all ; 
*'  for,  out  of  much  affliction  and  anguish  of  heart,  I  wrote 
*•  unto  you  ivith  many  tears  ;  not  that  ye  should  be  grieved> 
**  but  that  ye  might  know  the  love  which   I  have  more 
**  abundantly  unto  you  ;  but  if  any  have  caused  grief,  he 
**  hath  not  grieved  me  but  in  part,  that  I  may  not  over- 
**  charge  you  all.    Sufficient  to  such  a  man  is  this  punish- 
"  ment,  which  was  inflicted  of  many."  In  this  quotation, 
let.  the  reader  first  direct  his  attention  to  the  clause  marked 
by  Italics, "  and  T  wrote  this  same  unto  you  ;''and  let  him 
consider,  whether  from   the  context,  and  from  the  struc- 
ture of  the  whole  passage,  it  be  not  evident  that  this  writ- 
ing was  after  St.  Paul  had  "  determined  with  himself,  that 
;  ^  **  he  would  not  come  again  to  them  in  heaviness  ?"  wheth- 
.icr,  indeed,  it  was  not  in  consequence  of  this  determination, 
or  at  least  with  this  determination  upon  his  mind  ?    And, 
in  the  next  place,  let  him  consider,  whether  the  sentence, 
<*  I  determined  this  with  myself,  that  I  would  not  come 
**  again  to  you  in  heaviness,"  do  not  plainly  refer  to  that 
postponing  of  his  visit,  to  which  he  had  aluded  in  the  verse 
but  one  before,  when  he  said  "  I  call  God  for  a  record 
"  upon  my  soul,  that,  to  spare  you,  I  came  not  as  yet 
**  unto  Corinth;*'    and  whether  this  be  not  the  vi-it  of 
which  he  speaks  in  the  sixteenth  verse,  wherein  he  informs 
the  Corinthians,  "  that  he  had  been  minded  to  pass  by  them 
**  into  Macedonia  ;"  but  that,  for  reasons  which  argued 
no  levity  or  fickleness  in  his  disposition,  he  had  been  com- 
pelled to  change  his  purpose.     If  this  be  so,  then  it  fol- 
lows that  the  writing  here  mentioned  was  posterior  to 
the    change  of    his    intention*       The   only    question. 


63  THE    SECOND    EPISTLE 

therefore,  that  remains,  \vill  be,  whether  this  writiUg  rekte 
to  the  letter  which  we  now  have  under  the  title  of  the  First 
Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  or  to  some  other  letter  not  ex- 
tant ?  And  upon  this  question  I  tliiak  Mr.  Locke's  obseri 
vation  decisive  ;  namely,  that  the  second  clause  marked  in 
the  quotation  by  Italics,  "  I  wrote  unto  you  with  many 
**  tears,"  a  ad  the  first  clause  so  marked,  "  I  wrote  this 
**  same  unto  you,"  belong  to  one  writing,  whatever  that 
was  ;  and  that  the  second  clause  goes  on  to  advert  to  a 
circumstance  which  is  found  in  our  present  First  Epistle 
to  the  Corinthians  ;  namely,  the  case  and  punishment  of 
the  incestuous  person.  Upon  the  whole,  then,  we  see, 
that  it  is  capable  of  being  inferred  from  St.  Paul's  own 
words,  in  the  long  extract  which  we  have  quoted,  that  the 
First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  was  written  after  St.  Paul 
had  determined  to  postpone  his  journey  to  Corinth ;  in 
other  words,  that  the  change  of  his  purpose,  with  res- 
pect to  the  course  of  his  journey,  though  expressly  men- 
tioned only  in  the  Second  Epistle,  had  taken  place  before 
the  writing  of  the  First ;  the  point  which  we  made  out  to 
be  implied  in  the  history,  by  the  order  of  the  events  there 
recorded,  and  the  allusions  to  those  events  in  the  First 
.Epistle.  Now  tliis  is  a  species  of  congruity  of  all  others 
the  most  to  be  relied  upon.  It  is  not  an  agreement  be- 
tween two  accounts  of  the  same  transaction,  or  between 
different  statements  of  the  same  fact,  for  the  fact  is  not 
stated  ;  nothing  that  can  be  called  an  account  is  given  ; 
but  it  is  the  junction  of  two  conclusions,  deduced  from 
independent  sources,  and  deducible  only  by  investigation 
and  comparison. 

This  point,  viz.  the  change  of  the  route,  being  prior  to 
the  writing  of  the  first  epistle,  also  falls  in  with,  and  ac- 
counts for,  the  manner  in  which  he  speaks  in  that  epistle 
of  his  journey.  His  first  intention  had  been,  as  he  here 
declares,  to  "  pass  by  them  into  Macedonia  ;"  that  in- 
tention having  been  previously  given  up,  he  writes,  in  his 
First  Epistle,  *'  that  he  would  not  see  them  now  by  the 


TO   THE    CORINTHIANS.  6^ 

*♦  way,"  1.  e.  as  he  must  have  done  upon  his  first  plan  ; 
**  but  that  he  trusted  to  tarrjr  awhile  witli  them,  and  pos- 
**  sibly  to  abide,  yea,  and  winter  with  them."  i  Cor^ 
chap.  xvi.  5,  6.  It  also  accounts  for  a  singularity  in  the 
text  referred  to,  which  must  strike  every  reader ;  "  I  will 
**  come  to  you  when  I  pass  through  Macedonia ;  for  I 
**  do  pass  through  Macedonia.  The  supplemental  sen- 
tence, "  for  I  do  pass  through  Macedonia,"  imports  that 
there  had  been  some  previous  communication  upon  the 
subject  of  the  journey  ;  and  also  that  there  had  been  some 
vacillation  and  indecislveness  in  the  apostle's  plan  ;  both 
which  we  now  perceive  to  have  been  the  case.  The  sen» 
tence  is  as  much  as  to  say,  "  This  is  what  I  at  last  re- 
**  solve  upon."  The  expression,  "  orxv  MxKi^onxv  hsxduy*' 
is  ambiguous ;  it  may  denote  either  *'  when  I  pass,  or  when 
•*  I  shall  have  passed,  through  Macedonia ;"  the  consid- 
erations offered  above  fix  it  to  the  latter  sense.  Lastly^ 
the  point  we  have  endeavoured  to  make  out,  confirms,  or 
rather,  indeed,  is  necessary  to  the  support  of  a  conjecture 
which  forms  the  subject  of  a  number  in  our  observation<;. 
upon  the  First  Epistle  that  the  insinuanon  of  certain  o£ 
the  church  of  Corinth,  that  he  would  come  no  more 
amongst  them,  was  founded  in  some  previous  disappoint- 
ment of  tlieir  expectations.. 

No.  K 
But  if  St.  Paul  had  changed  his  purpose  before  the 
writing  of  the  First  Epistle,  why  did  he  defer  explaining- 
himself  to  the  Corinthians,  concerning  the  reason  of  that 
change,  until  he  wrote  the  Second  ?  This  is  a  very  fair 
question  ;  and  we  are  able,  I  think,  to  return  to  it  a  sat- 
isfactory answer.  The  real  cause,  and  the  cause  at  length 
assigned  by  St.  Paul  fc«-  postponing  his  visit  to  Corinth, 
and  not  travelling  by  the  route  which  he  had  at  first  de- 
signed, was  the  disorderly  state  of  the  Corinthian  church 
at  the  time,  and  the  painful  severities  which  he  should 
have  found  himself  obliged  to  exercise,  if  he  had  come  a- 
Kiongst  them  during  the  existence,  of  these  inegularities. 


7a  THE    SECOND    EPISTLE 

He  was  willing  therefore  to  try,  before  he  cr^rne  in  per- 
son, what  a  letter  of  authoritative  objurgation  woiild  do- 
amongst  them^  and  to  leave  time  for  the  operation  of  the 
experiment.  That  was  his  scheme  in  writing  the  First 
Epistle.  But  It  was  not  for  him  to  acquaint  them  with 
the  scheme.  After  the  epistle  had  produced  its  effect 
(and  to  the  utmost  extent,  as  it  should  seem,  of  the  apos- 
tle's hopes)  ;  when  he  had  wrought  m  them  a  deep  sense 
of  their  fault,  and  an  almost  passionate  solicitude  to  re- 
store themselves  to  the  approbation  of  their  teacher ; 
when  Titus  (chap.  vii.  6,  7,  11.)  had  brought  him  in- 
telligence **  of  their  earnest  desire,  their  mourning,  their 
•*  fervent  mind  towards  him,  of  their  sorrow  and  their 
<' penitence  ;  what  carefulness,  what  clearing  of  them- 
**  selves,  what  indignation,  what  fear,  what  vehement  de-- 
•«  sire ,  what  zeal,  what  revenge,"  his  letter,  and  the  gen- 
eral  concern  occasioned  by  it,  had  excited  amongst  them ; 
he  then  opeias^himself  fully  upon  the  subject.  The  affec- 
tionate mind  of  tlie  apostle  is  touched  by  this  return  of 
zeal  and  duty.  He  tells  them  that  he  did  not  visit  them 
at  the  tim€  proposed,  lest  their  meeting  should  have  been 
attended  with  mutual  grief  j  and  with  *grief  to  him  em- 
bittered by  the  reflection,  that  he  was  giving  paiii  to  those, 
from  whom  alone  he  could  receive  comfort.  "  I  detel*- 
<*  mined  this  with  myself,  that  I  would  not  come  again 
**  to  you  in  heaviness  ;  for  if  I  make  you  soiTy,  who  is 
**  he  that  maketh  me  glad  but  the  same  which  is  made 
**  sorry  by  me  ?"  (chap  ii.  1,2.)  that  he  had  written  his 
former  epistle  to  warn  them  beforehand  of  their  fault 
"  lest  when  he  came  he  should  have  sorrow  of  them. of 
<*  whom  he  ought  to  rejoice  ;'*  (chap.  ii.  3.)  that  he  had 
the  farther  view,  though  perhaps  unperceived  by  them> 
of  making  an  experiment  of  their  fidelity,  '*  to  know  the 
<*  piro©f  of  them,  whether  they  were  obedient  in  all  things," 
(chap.  ii.  9.).  This  full  discovery  of  his  motive  came 
very  naturally  from  the  apostle,  after  he  had  seen  the 
success  of  his  measures,  but  would  nothaveijeen  a  sea- 


TO    THE    CORTNTHIAMS,  ^I 

sonable  communicacion  before.  The  whole  composes  a 
train  of  seucmient  and  of  conduct  resulting  from  real 
circumstance,  and  as  remote  as  possible  from  fictioa  or 
imposture. 

No.  VL 

Chap.  XI.  9.  *<  When  I  was  present  with  you  and 
"  wanted,  I  was  chargeable  to  no  man ;  for  that  which 
«  was  lacking  to  me,  the  brethren  which  came  from  Ma-' 
«  cedonia  supplied."  The  principle  fact  set  forth  in  ^is 
passage,  the  arrival  at  Corinth  or  brethren  from  Mace- 
donia^ during  St.  PauPs  first  residence  in  that  city,  is 
explicitly  recorded.  Acts,  chap,  xviii.  1,5.  '<  After  these 
«*  things  Paul  departed  from  Athens,  and  came  to  Co- 

^  rinth.     And  when  Silas   and    Timotheus  were  come 
«  from  Macedonia,  Paul  was  pressed  in  spirit,  and  testified 

"  to  tlie  Jew^  that  Jesus  was.  Christ.'' 

No,  VIL 

The  above  quotation  from  the  Acts  proves  that  Silas 
and  Timotheus  were-  assisting  to  St.    Paul  in  preaching 
the  gospel  at  Corinth.  With  which  correspond  the  words 
of  the  epistle  (chap,  i,  19.)      «*  For  the  son  of  God,  Je- 
•<sus  Christ,  who  was  preached  among  yon  by  us,  even 
-*<  by  me,  and  Sylvanus,  and  Timotheus,  was  not  yea  and 
«  nay,  but  in  him  was  yea.*'     I  do  admit  that  the  corres. 
pondency,  considered  by  itself,  is  too  direct  and  obvious ; 
and  that  an.  impostor  with  the  history  before  him  might! 
and  probably  would,  produce  agreements  of  the  same 
kind.   ^  But  let  it  be  remembered,  that  this  reference  is 
found  in  a  writing,   which  from  many  discrepancies,  and 
especially  from  those  noted  No.  Tl.  we  may  conclude,  was 
not  composed  by  any  one  who  had  consulted,  and  who 
pursued  the  history.      Some  observation  also  arises  upon 
the  variation  of  i3i€  name.     We  read  Silas  in  the  Acts, 


•^2  THE    SECOND   IPISTLB 

Silvanus  in  the  epistle.  The  similitude  of  these  two  names, 
irthey  were  the  names  of  different  persons,  is  greater  than 
could  easily  have  proceeded  from  accident ;  1  mean  that 
It  is  not  probable,  that  two  persons  placed  in  situations  so 
^uch  alike,  should  bear  names  so  nearly  resembling  each 
Other  *  On  the  other  hand,  the  difference  of  the  name 
in  the  two  passages  negatives  the  supposition  of  the  passa- 
ges, or  the  account  contained  in  them,  being  transcribed 
dther  from  the  otlier. 

f  P  iV..  VIIL 

Chap.  ii.  12,  13.  "  When  I  came  to  Troas  to  preach 
*<  Christ's  gospel,  and  a  door  was  opened  unto  me  of  the 
^*  Lord,  I  had  no  rest  in  my  spirit,  because  I  found  not 
<*  Titus  my  brother  ;  but  taking  my  leave  of  them,  I  went 
«f  from  thence  into  Macedonia." 

To  establish  a  conformity  between  this  passage  and  the 
Jiistory,  nothing  more  is  necessary  to  be  presumed,  than 
that  St.  Paul  proceeded  from  Ephesus  to  Macedonia,  up- 
on  the  same  course  by  which  he  came  back  from  Mace- 
donia to  Ephesus,  or  rather  to  Miletus  in  the  neighbour- 
hood  of  Ephesus ;  in  oUier  words,  that  in  his  journey  to 
the  peninsula  of  Greece,  he  went  and  returned  the  same 
way.     St.  Paul  is  now  In  Macedonia,  where  he  had  late- 
ly arrived  from  Ephesus.     Our  quotation  imports  that  m 
his  journey  he  had  stopped  at  Troas.     Of  this,  the  histo- 
ry says  nothing,  leaving  us  only  the  short  account,  "  that 
"  Paul  departed  from  Ephesus,  for  to  go  Into  Macedonia. 
But  the  history  says,  that  in  his  return  from  Macedonia  to 
Ephesus,  «'  Paul  sailed  from  PhUlppi  to  Troas  ;  and  that, 
•when  the  disciples  came  together  on  the  first  day  of  the 
week  to  break  bread,  Paul  preached  unto  them  all  night  J 
that  from  Troas  he  went  by  land  to  Assos ;  from  Assos, 
taking  ship  and  coasting  along  the  front  of  Asia  Mmof. 
*  That  they  were- the  same  person  is  further  confirmed  by  I  ThesJ, 
chap.i,  I,  compared -with  Acta.  chap.  xvii.  la 


TO   THE    CORINTHIANS.  7$ 

he  came  by  Mitylene  to  Miletus."  Which  account  proves 
first,  that  Troas  lay  In  the  way  by  which  St.  Paul  passed 
between  Ephesus  and  Macedonia ;  secondly,  that  he  had 
disciples  there.  In  one  journey  between  these  two  places,  the 
epistle,  and  in  another  journey  between  the  same  places, 
the  history  makes  him  stop  at  this  city.  Of  the  first  jeur- 
ney  he  is  made  to  say,  *'  that  a  door  was  in  that  city  opened 
•«  unto  him  of  the  Lord  ;**  in  the  second  we  find  disciples 
there  collected  around  him,  and  the  apostle  exercising  his 
ministry,  with,  what  was  even  in  him,  more  than  ordinary 
zeal  and  labour.  The  epistle  therefore  is  in  this  instance  con- 
firmed, if  not  by  the  terms,  at  least  by  the  probability  of 
the  history  ;  a  species  of  confirmation  by  no  means  to  be 
despised,  because,  as  far  as  it  reaches,  it  is  evidently  uncon- 
trived. 

Grotius,  t  know,  refers  the  arrival  at  Troas,  to  which 
the  epistle  alludes,  to  a  dijBTerent  period,  but  I  think  very 
improbably ;  for  nothing  appears  to  me  more  certain,  than 
that  the  meeting  with  Titus,  which  St.  Paul  expected  at 
Troas,  was  the  same  meeting  which  took  place  in  Mace- 
donia, viz.  upon  Titus's  coming  out  of  Greece.  In  the 
quotation  before  us,  he  tells  the  Corinthians,  *'  When  I 
«*  came  to  Troas,  I  had  no  rest  in  my  spirit,  because  I 
"  found  not  Titus,  my  brother  ;  but,  taking  my  leave  of 
<«  them,  I  went  from  thence  into  Macedonia."  Then  in 
the  seventh  chapter  he  writes,  "  When  we  were  come  in- 
"  to  Macedonia,  our  flesh  had  no  rest,  but  we  were  troub- 
**  led  on  every  side  ;  without  were  fightings,  within  were 
"  fears ;  nevertheless,  God,  that  comforteth  them  that 
•*  are  cast  down,  comforted  us  by  the  coming  of  Titus." 
These  two  passages  plainly  relate  to  the  same  journey  of 
Titus,  in  meeting  with  whom  St.  Paul  had  been  disap- 
pointed at  Troas,  and  rejoiced  in  Macedonia.  And 
amongst  other  reasons  which  fix  the  former  passage  to 
the  coming  of  Titus  out  of  Greece,  is  the  consideration, 
that  it  was  nothing  to  the  Corinthians  that  St.  Paul  did 
»Qt  meet  with  Titus  at  Troas,  were  it  not  that  he  was  to 

G 


V4  The  SECOND  spistle 

l»ring  intelligence  from  Corinth.     The  mention  of  the  dis- 
^  appointment  in  this  place,  upon  any  other  supposition,  is, 
irrelative. 

No.  IX. 

Chap.  xi.  24,  25.  "  Of  the  Jews  five  times  receiv- 
^*  ed  I  forty  stripes  save  one  ;  thrice  was  I  beaten 
with  rods ;  once  was  I  stoned  ;  thrice  I  suffered  ship- 
**  wreck ;    a  night  and  a  day  I  have  been  in  the  deep." 

These  particulars  cannot  be  extracted  out  of  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles;  which  proves,  as  hath  been  already  ob- 
served, that  the  epistle  was  not  framed  from  the  history  ; 
yet  they  are  consistent  with  it,  which,  considering  how 
numerically  circumstantial  the  account  is,  is  more  than 
could  happen  to  arbitrary  and  independent  fictions.  When 
I  say  that  these  particulars  are  consistent  with  the  history, 
I  mean,  first,  that  there  Is  no  article  in  the  enumeration 
which  is  contradicted  by  the  history  ;  secondly,  that  the 
history,  though  silent  with  respect  to  many  of  the  facts 
here  enumerated,  has  left  space  for  the  existence  of  these 
facts,  consistent  with  the  fidelity  of  its  own  narration. 

First,  no  contradiction  is  discoverable  between  the  epis- 
tle and  the  history.  When  St.  Paul  says,  thrice  was  I 
l^eaten  w^ith  rods,  although  the  history  records  only  om 
beating  with  rods,  viz.  at  Phillppi,  Acts  xvi.  22.  yet  is 
tliere  no  contradiction.  It  is  only  the  omission  in  one  book 
of  what  is  related  in  another.  But  had  the  history  con- 
tained accounts  o£  four  beatings  with  rods,  at  the  time  of 
writing  this  epistle,  in  which  St.  Paul  says  that  he  had 
cnly  suffered  three,  there  would  have  been  a  contradiction 
properly  so  called.  The  same  observation  applies  gener- 
ally to  the  other  parts  of  the  enumeration,  concerning 
which  the  history  is  silent ;  but  there  is  one  clause  in  the 
quotation  particularly  deserving  of  remark ;  because,  when 
cociroatcd  with  tlie  history, it  fumlshesthe  nearest  approach 


TO    XHE    C0J11HTHIAMS._  75 

t3  a  contradiction,  wlthput  a.  contradiction  being  actually 
incurred,  of  an/ 1  remember  to  have  met  with.  "Once,"saith 
«*  S  ^Paul,  was  I  stoned."Does  the  history  relate  that  St.Paul, 
prior  to  the  writing  of  this  epistle,  had  been  stoned  more 
than  once  ?  The  history  mentions  distinctly  one  occasion 
upon  which  St.  Paul  was  stoned,  viz.  at  Lystra  in  Lyca- 
onia.  *'  Then  came  thither  certain  Jews  from  Antioch 
"  and  Iconium,  who  persuaded  the  people  ;  and,  having 
"  stoned  Paul,  drew  him  out  of  the  city,  supposing  he  had 
**  been  dead."  (Chap.  xiv<.  19.)  And  it  mentions  also  an- 
other occasloain  which  "  an  assault  v»'as  made  both  of  the 
•'  G^ntiles,ani  also  of  the  Jews  with  their  rulers,  to  use  them 
**  despitefully,  and  to  stone  them  ;  but  tliey  were  aware  of 
"  It,'*  the  history  proceeds  to  tell  us,  *'  and  fled  into  Lys- 
**  tra  and  Djrbe."  This  happened  at  Iconium,  prior  to 
the  date  of  tlie  epistle.  Now  had.  the  assault  been  com- 
pleted ;  had  the  liistory  related  that  a  stone  was  thrown^ 
as  it  relates  that  preparadons,  were  made  botli  by  Jews 
and  Gentiles  to  stone  Paul  and  his  companions ;  or  evea 
had  die  account  of  this  transaction  stopped,  without  go^ 
ing  on  to  mtorm.  us  tliat  Paul  and  his  conipanions  were 
**  aware  of  their  danger  and  fled,"  a  contradiction  be- 
tween the  liistory  and  the  epistle  would  have  ensued. 
Truth  is  necessarily  consistent  ;  but  it  is  scarcely  possi- 
ble tliat  independent  accounts,  not  hav  ing  truth  to  guide 
them,  should  thus  advance  to  the  very  brink  of  contra- 
diction without  falling  into  it. 

Secondly,  I  say,  that  if  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  be  si- 
lent concerning  miany  of  the  instances  enumerated  ia 
the  epistle,  this  silence  may  be  accounted  for,  from  the 
plan  and  fabric  of  the  history.  The  date  of  the  epistle 
synchronises  with  tlie  beginning  of  the  twentieth  chap- 
ter of  the  Acts.  The  part,  therefore,  of  tlie  history, 
which  precedes  the  twentieth  chapter,  is  the  only  part  in 
which  can  be  found  any  notice  of  the  persecutions  to 
which  St.  Paul  refers.  Now  it  does  not  appear  that  the 
author  of  tlie  history  was  with  St.  Paul  until  his  depar- 


7^  THE    SECOND    EPISTLE 

ture  from  Troas,  on  his  way  to  Macedonia,  as  related 
chap  xvi.  lo;  or  rather  indeed  the  contrary  appears.  It 
is  in  this  point  of  the  history  that  the  language  changes. 
In  tlie  seventh  and  eighth  verses  of  this  chapter  the  third 
person  is  used.  *'  After  they  w^ere  come  t^  Mysia,  they 
**  assayed  to  go  into  Bithynia,  but  the  Spirit  suffered  them 
•*  not ;  and  they  passing  by  Mysia  come  to  Troas  ;"  and 
the  third  person  is  in  like  manner  constantly  used  through- 
out the  foregoing  part  of  the  history.  In  the  tenth  verse 
of  this  chapter,  the  first  person  comes  in.  *'  After  Paul 
*«  had  seen  the  vision,  immediately  ivg  endeavouied  to  go^ 
«  into  Macedonia  j  assuredly  gathering  that  tlie  Lord 
«*  had  called  vs  to  preach  the  gospel  unto  them.**  Now, 
from  this  time  to  the  writing  of  this  epistle,  the  history- 
occupies  four  chapters  ;  yet  it  is  in  these,  if  any,  that  a 
regular  or  continued  account  of  die  apostle's  hfe  is  to  be 
expected  ;  for  how  succinctly  his  history  is  delivered  in  the 
preceding  part  of  the  book,  that  is  to  say,  from  the  time 
of  his  conversion  to  the  time  when  the  historian  joined  him 
at  Troas,  except  the  particulars  of  his  conversion  itself 
which  are  related  circumstantially,  may  be  understood 
from  the  following  observations. 

The  history  of  a  period  of  sixteen  years  is  comprised  in 
less  than  three  chapters  ;  and  of  tliese,  a  material  part  is 
taken  up  with  discourses.  After  his  conversion,  he  con- 
tinued in  the  neighbourhood  of  Damascus,  according  to 
the  history,  for  a  certain  considerable,  though  indefinite 
length  of  time,  according  to  his  own  words  (Gal.  i.  i8.) 
for  three  years;  of  v/hich  no  other  account  is  given  than  this 
short  one,  that  «•  straightway  he  preached  Christ  in  the 
»»  synagogues,  that  he  is  the  Son  of  God  ;  that  all  that  heard 
«  him  were  amazed,  and  said,  is  not  this  he  that  destroyed 
«<  them  which  called  on  his  name  in  Jerusalem  >  that  he 
*♦  increased  the  more  in  strength,  and  confounded  tlie  Jews 
«  which  dwelt  at  Damascus  ;  and  that,  after  many  days 
"  were  fulfilled,  the  Jews  took  counsel  to  kill  him.**  From 
♦Damascus  he  proceeded  to  Jerusalem  j    and  of  his  resi- 


rO    THE    CORINTHIANS.  77 

^nce  there  nothing  more  particular  is  recorded  than  that 
**  he  was  with  the  apostles,  coming  in  and  going  out ; 
••  that  he  spake  boldly  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and 
**  disputed  against  the  Grecians  who  w^ent  about  to 
<*  kill  him.**  From  Jerusalem,  the  history  sends  him  to 
his  native  city  of  Tarsus.*  It  seems  probable,  from  the 
order  and  disposition  of  the  history,  that  St.  Paul's  stay 
at  Tarsus  was  of  some  continuance  ;  for  we  hear  nothing 
•f  him,  until,  after  a  long  apparent  interval,  and  much 
interjacent  narrative,  Barnabas,  desirous  of  Paul's  assist- 
ance upon  the  enlargement  of  the  Christian  mission, 
*»  went  to  Tarsus  for  to  seek  him.f "  We  cannot  doubt 
but  that  the  new  apostle  had  been  busied  in  his  ministry ; 
yet  of  what  he  did,  or  what  he  suffered,  during  this  peri- 
od, which  may  include  three  or  four  years,  the  history 
professes  not  to  deliver  any  information.  As  Tarsus  was 
situated  upon  the  seacoast,  and  as,  though  Tarsus  was 
his  home,  yet  it  is  probable  he  visited  from  thence  many 
other  places,  for  the  purpose  of  preaching  the  Gospel,  it 
is  not  unlikely,  that  in  the  course  of  three  or  four  years, 
he  might  undertake  many  short  voyages  to  neighbourino- 
countries,in  the  navigating  of  which  we  may  be  allowed  to 
suppose  that  some  of  those  disasters  and  shipwrecks  befel 
him,  to  which  he  refers  in  the  quotation  before  us,  "  tlirice 
**  I  suffered  shipwreck,  a  night  and  a  day  I  have  been  in 
**  the  deep."  This  last  clause  I  am  inclined  to  interpret 
of  his  being  obliged  to  take  to  an  open  boat,  upon  the  loss 
of  the  ship,  and  his  continuing  out  at  sea  in  that  danger- 
ous situation,  a  night  and  a  day.  St.  Paul  is  here  re- 
counting his  sufferings,  not  relating  miracles.  From  Tar- 
sus, Barnabas  brought  Paul  to  Antioch,  and  there  he  re- 
mained  a  year ;  but  of  the  transactions  of  that  year  no 
other  description  is  given  than  what  is  contained  in- the 
four  last  verses  of  the  eleventh  chapter*  After  a  more 
solemn  dedication  to  the  ministry,  Barnabas  and  Paul  pro- 

*  Acts,  chap.  Ix,  30. 
t  Chap*  xi,  aj. 


*}%  THE    SECON©    EFISTLB 

ceeded  from  Antioch  to  Cilicia,  and  from  thence  t2i^ 
sailed  to  Cyprus,  of  which  voyage  no  particulars  arc  men- 
tioned. Upon  their  return  from  Cyprus,  they  made  a 
progress  together  through  the  Lesser  Asia  ;  and  though 
two  remarkable  speeches  be  preserved,  and  a  few  incidents 
m  the  course  of  their  travels  circumstantially  related,  yet 
h  is  the  account  of  this  progress,  upon  the  whole,  given 
professedly  with  conciseness  ;  for  instance,  at  Iconi- 
ura  it  is  said  that  they  abode  a  long  time  ;*  yet  of 
this  long  abode,  except  cpncerning  the  manner  in 
which  they  were  driven  away,  no  memoir  is  inserted  in  the 
history.  The  whole  is  wrapped  up  in  one  short  summa- 
ry, "  they  spake  boldly  in  the  Lord,  which  gave  testimo- 
*'  ny  unto  the  world  of  his  grace,  and  granted  signs  and 
*''  wonders  to  bo  done  by  their  hands."  Having  complet- 
ed their  progress,  the  two  apostles  returned  to  Antioch » 
*'  and  there  they  abode  long  time  with  the  disciples.*' 
Here  we  have  another  large  portion  of  time  passed  over 
in  silence.  To  this  succeeded  a  journey  to  Jerusalem, 
upon  a  dispute  which  then  much  agitated  the  Christian 
church,  concerning  the  obligation  of  the  law  of  Moses. 
When  the  object  of  that  journey  was  completed,  Paul  pro- 
posed to  Barnabas  to  go  again  and  visit  their  brethien  in 
every  city  where  they  had  not  preached  the  word  of 
the  Lord.  The  execution  of  this  plan  carried  our  apos- 
tle through  Syria,  Cilicia,  and  many  provinces  of  the  Les- 
ser Asia  ;  yet  is  the  account  of  the  whole  journey  dispatch- 
ed, in  four  verses  of  the  sixteenth  chapter. 

If  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  had  undertaken  to  exhibit 
regular  annals  of  St.  Paul's  ministry,  or  even  any  contin- 
ued account  of  his  life,  from  his  conversion  at  Damascus 
to  his  imprisonment  at  Rome,  I  should  have  thought  the 
omission  of  the  circumstances  referred  to  in  our  epistle,  a 
matter  of  reasonable  objection.  But  when  it  appears, 
from  the  history  itself,  that  large  portions  of  St.  Paul's 
life  were  either  passed  over  in  silence,  or  only  slightly 

•  Chap.  xvi.  3, 


TO    THE    CORINTHIANS.  79 

touched  upon,  and  that  nothing  more  than  certain  detach- 
ed incidents  and  discourses  are  related ;  when  we  observe 
idso,  that  the  audior  of  the  history  did  not  join  our  apos- 
tle's society  till  a  few  years  before  the  writing  of  the  epis- 
tle, at  least  that  there  is  no  proof  in  the  history  that  he 
did  so ;  in  comparing  the  history  with  the  epistle,  we 
shall  not  be  surprised  by  the  discovery  of  omissions  ;  we 
shall  ascribe  it  to  truth  that  there  is  no  contradiction. 

Cap,  iii.  I.  "  Do  we  begin  again  to  commend  our- 
"  selves  ?  or  need  we,  as  some  others,  epistles  of  commen- 
*<  dation  to  you  ?** 

"  As  some  others."  Turn  to  Acts  xvlii.  27,  and  you 
will  find  that,  a  short  time  before  tlie  writing  of  this  epis- 
tle, Apollos  had  gone  to  Corinth  with  letters  of  commen- 
dation from  the  Ephesian  Christians ;  "  and  when  Apol- 
**  los  was  disposed  to  pass  into  Achaia,  the  brethren  wrote, 
<*  exhorting  the  disciples  to  receive  him."  Here  the  words 
of  the  epistle  bear  the  appearance  of  alluding  to  some 
specific  instance,  and  the  history  supplies  that  in- 
stance ;  it  supplies  at  least  an  instance  as  opposite 
as  possible  to  the  terms  which  the  apostle  uses,  and 
to  the  date  and  direction  of  the  epistle,  in  which  they  are 
found.  The  letter  which  Apollos  carried  from  Ephe- 
sus,  was  precisely  the  letter  of  commendation  which  St. 
Paul  meant  ?  and  it  was  to  Achaia,  of  which  Corinth 
was  the  capital,  and  indeed  to  Corinth  itself  (Acts,  chap, 
xix.  i.),  that  Apollos  carried  it;  and  it  was  about  two 
years  before  the  writing  of  this  epistle.  If  St.  Paul's  words 
be  rather  thought  to  refer  to  some  general  usage  which 
then  obtained  among  Christian  churches,  the  case  of  Apol- 
los exemplifies  that  usage  ;  and  affords  that  species  of  con- 
firmation to  the  epistle,  which  arises  from  seeing  the  man^ 
ners  of  the  age,  in  which  it  purports  to  be  written,  faith- 
fully preserved. 


ta  THE    SrCOND    EPISTLE 


No.  XI. 


Chap.  xiii.  I.     •*  This  is  the  third  time  I  am  coming  to 
**  you  ;"     r^iroi  raro  t^p^oj^eet. 

Do  not  these  words  import  that  the  v/riter  had  been  at 
Corinth  twice  before  ?  Yet,  if  thej  import  this,  they  over- 
set every  congruity  we  have  been  endeavouring  to  estab- 
lish. The  Acts  of  the  Apostles  record  only  two  journeys 
of  St.  Paul  to  Corinth.  We  have  all  along  supposed, 
what  every  mark  of  time  except  this  expression  indicates, 
that  the  epistle  was  written  between  the  first  and  second 
of  these  journeys.  If  St.  Paul  had  been  already  twice  at 
Corinth,  this  supposition  must  be  given  up  ;  and  every 
argument  or  observation  which  depend,upon  it,  falls  to  the 
ground.  Again,  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  not  only  re- 
cord no  more  than  two  journeys  of  St.  Paul  to  Corinth,, 
but  do  not  allow  us  ta  suppose  that  more  than  two  such 
journeys  could  be  made  or  intended  by  him  within  the 
period  which  the  history  comprises  ;  for,  from  his  first 
journey  into  Greece  to  his  first  imprisonment  at  Rome, 
with  which  the  history  concludes,  the  apostle^s  time  is  ac- 
counted for.  If  therefore  the  epistle  was  written  after 
the  second  journey  to  Corinth,  and  upon  the  view  and 
expectation  of  a  third,  it  must  have  been  written  after  his 
first  im.prisonment  at  Rome,  i.  e.  after  the  time  to  which 
the  history  extends.  When  I  first  read  over  this  epistle 
with  the  particular  view  of  comparing  it  with  the  history, 
whicli  I  chose  to  do  without  consulting  any  commentary 
whatever^  I  own  that  I  felt  myself  confounded  by  this  text. 
It  appeared  to  contradict  the  opinion,  which  I  had  been 
led  by  a  great  variety  of  circumstances  to  form,  concern- 
ing the  date  and  occasion  of  the  epistle.  At  length  how- 
ever it  occurred  to  my  thoughts  to  inquire,  whether  the 
passage  did  necessarily  imply  that  St.  Paul  had  been  at 
Corinth  twice  ;  or  whether,  when  he  says  "  this  is  the 
♦*  third  time  I  am   coming  to  you,"  he  might  meao  ©nly 


TO    tHE    CORtNTHlAKS. 


St 


that  this  was  the  third  time  that  he  was  ready,  that  he 
was  prepared,  that  he  intended  to  set  out  upon  his  jour- 
ney to  Corinth.     I  recollected  that  he  had  once  before 
this  purposed  to  visit  Corinth,  and  had  been  disappointed 
in  his  purpose  ;    which  disappointment  forms  the  subject 
of  much  apology  and  protestation,  in  the  first  and  second 
chapters  of  die  epistle.      Now.  if  the  journey  in  which  he 
had  been  disappointed  was  reckoned  by  him  one  ©f  the 
times  in  which  "  he  was  coming  to  them,"  then  the  pres- 
ent  would  be  tlie  third  time,  i.  e,  of  his  being  ready  and 
prepared  to  come  ;  although  he  had  been  actually  at  Co- 
rinth only  once  before.      This  conjecture  being  taken  up, 
a  farther  examination  of  the  passage  and  the  epistle,  pro- 
duced proofs  which  placed  it  beyond  doubt.      This  is 
the  tliird  time  I  am  coming  to  you  ;  iw  the  verse  following 
these  words  he  adds,  "I  told  you  before,  and  foretel  you» 
**  as  if  I  were  present  the  second  time  }    and  being  absent, 
••  now  I  write  to  them  which  heretofore  have  sinned,  and 
<*  to  all  other,  that  if  I  come  again  I  will  not  spare."  In  this 
Terse,  the  apostle    is  declaring  beforehand  what  he  would 
do  in  his  intended  visit ;  his  expression  therefore,  "  as  if  I 
**  were  present  the  second  time,"  relates  to  that  visit.    But, 
if  his  future  visit  would  only  make  him  present  among 
them  a  second  time,  it  follows  that  he  had  been  already 
there  but  once.     Again,  in  the  fifteenth  verse  of  the  first 
chapter,  he  tells  them,   "  In  this  confidence,  I  was  mind- 
**  ed  to  come  unto  you  before,  that  ye  might  have  a  second 
•*  benefit."     Why  a  second,  and  not  a  third  benefit  ?  why 
^iVTi^xVy    and  not   r^trfiv  y/x-^iv^    If  the  r^irov  i^^ofMciy   in  the 
fifteenth  chapter,  m^ant  a  third  visit  ?  fl)r,  though  the  visit 
in  the  first  chapter  be  that  visit  in  which  he  was  disappoint- 
ed, yet,  as  it  is  evident  from  the  epistle  that  be  had  never 
been  at  Corinth,  from  the  disappointment  to  the  time  of 
writing  the   epistle,  it  follows,  that  if  it  was  only  a  sec- 
ond visit  in  which  he  was  disappointed  then,  it  could  on- 
ly be  a  second  visit  which  he  purposed  now.     But  the  text 
which  I  think  is  decisive  of  tl,ae  question,  if  any  question  re* 


•|r  THE.    SE<?TTy^D    EPISTLE 

main  upon  the  subject,  is  the  fourteenth  verse  of  the  twelftli. 
"  chapter ;    Behold  the  third  time  I  am  ready  to  come  to 
you.*'    ih  r^iTc*  irei^ag  tp^a  i^Quv.    It  is  very  clear  that  the 
rgiroi  iroi^ui  ^X"  ^^^^^  of  the  twelfth  chapter  and  the  r^ktaf 
rare  i^x'^f^.ai  of  the  thirteenth  chapter,  are  equivalent  expres- 
sipns,  were  intended  to  convey  the  same  meaning,  and  to 
relate  to  the  same  journey.      The  comparison  of  these 
phrases  gives  us  St.  Paul's  own  explanation  of  his  own 
words ;  and  it  is  that  very  explanation  which  we  are  con- 
tending for,  viz.  that  r^irov  raro  i^x^/axt  doesnot  mean  that 
he  was  coming  a  third  time,  but  that  this  was  the  third 
time  he  was  in  readiness  to  come,  r^trov  srcif^ejg  ix^v.      I 
do  not  apprehend,   that  after  this  it  can  be  necessary  to, 
call  to  our  aid  the  reading  of  the  Alexandrian  manuscript,, 
which  gives  iroif^uq  i^a  tx6uv  in  the  thirteenth  chapter  as 
v;;ell  as  in  the  twelfth ;  or  of  the  SyrLac  and  Coptic  verslonsj 
which  follow  that  reading  ;    because  I  allow  that  this 
reading,  besides  not  being  sufficiently  supported  by  an- 
cient copies,  is  probably  paraphrastical,  and  has  been  in- 
serted for  the  purpose  of  expressing  more  unequivocallj*- 
the  sense,  v/hich  the  shorter  expression  r^irov  mro  ^^x^f.i*t 
was  supposed  to  carry.     Upon  the  whole,  the  mattter  is 
sufficiently  certain  ;  nor  do  I  propose  it  as  a  new  inter- 
pretation of  the  text  which  contains  the  difficulty,  for  the 
same  was  given  by    Grotius  long    ago  ;  but  I  thought  it 
the  clearest  way  of  explaining  the  subject,  to  describe  the 
manner  in  which   the   difficulty,  the   solution,  and   the 
proofs  of  that  solution,  successively  presented   tliemselves 
to  my  inquiries.     Now,  in  historical  researches,  a  recon- 
ciled inconsistency  becomes  a  positive  argument.     First, 
because  an.  impostor   generally   guards  against  the  ap- 
pearances of   inconsistency   ;      and    secondly    because 
when  apparent  inconsistencies  are  found,  it  is  seldom  that 
any  thing  but  truth  renders  them  capable  of  reconcilia- 
tion.    The  existence  of  the  difficulty  proves  the  want,  or 
absence  of  that  caution,  which  usually  accompanies  the 
consciousness  of  fraud ;  and  the  solution  proves,  that  it 


TO    THE      CORINTHIANS.  >l^3 

is  not  the:  collusion  of  fortuitous  proposition  which  we 

have  to  to  deal  with,  but  the  thread  of  truth  winds  through 

the   whole,  which  preserves  every  circumstance    in  its 

place. 

No.  XIL 

Chap.  X.  14 — 16.  "  We  are  come  as  far  as  to  you  al- 
•«  so,  in  preaching  the  Gospel  of  Christ ;  not  boasting  of 
•*  things  without  our  measure,  that  is,  of  other  men's  la- 
«  hours  ;  but  having  hope,  when  your  faith  is  increased, 
*♦  that  we  shall  be  enlarged  by  you,  according  to  our  rule, 
*'  abundantly  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  the  regions  beyond 
**  you." 

This  quotation  affords  an  indirect,  and  therefore  un- 
suspicious, but  at  the  same  time  a  distinct  and  indubitable 
recognition  of  the  truth  and  exactness  of  the  history.  I 
consider  it  to  be  implied  by  the  words  of  the  quotation, 
that  Corinth  was  tlie  extremity  of  St.  Paul's  travels  hither^ 
to.  He  expresses  to  the  Corinthians  his  hope,  that  in  some 
future  visit  he  might  "  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  regions 
*•  beyond  them  i"  which  imports  that  he  had  not  hith- 
erto proceeded  **  beyond  them,"  but  that  Corinth  was  as 
yet  the  farthest  point  or  boundary  of  his  travels.  Now, 
how  is  St.  Paul's  first  journey  into  Europe,  which  was 
the  only  one  he  had  taken  before  the  writing  of  the  epis- 
tle, traced  out  in  the  history  ?  Sailing  from  Asia,  he  land- 
ed at  Philippi ;  from  Philippi,  traversing  the  eastern  coast 
of  the  peninsula,  he  passed  through  Amphipolis  and  Apol- 
lonia  to  Thessalonica ;  from  thence  through  Berea  to 
Athens,  and  from  Athens  to  Corinth,  nvhere  he  stopped ; 
and  from  whence,  after  a  residence  of  a  year  and  a  half, 
he  sailed  back  into  Syria.  So  that  Corinth  was  the  last 
place  which  he  visited  in  the  peninsula ;  was  the  place 
from  which  he  returned  into  Asia  ;  and  was,  as  such,  the 
boan.^ary  and  limit  of  his  progress.  He  could  not  have 
said  the  same  thing,  viz.  **  I  hope  hereafter  to  visit  the 
*<  regions  beyond  you,"  in  an  epistle  to  the  Phllippians, 
or  in  an  epistle  to  the   Thessalonians,  inasmuch  as  he 


S4  f^^    SECONB    EPISTLK 

must  be  deemed  to  have  already  visited  the  regions  be- 
yond  thewf  having  proceeded  from  those  cities  to  other 
parts  of  Greece.'  But  from  Corinth  he  returned  home  ; 
every  part  therefore,  beyond  that  city,  might  properly  be 
said,  as  it  is  said  in  the  passage  before  us,  to  be  unvisited. 
Yet  is  this  propriety,  the  spontaneous  effect  of  truth,  and 
produced  without  meditation  or  design. 


CHAP.  V. 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATIANI* 

No,   /. 

X  HE  argument  of  this  epistle  rfi  soTfne  meas* 
lire  proves  its  antiquity.  It  will  hardly  be  doubted,  but 
that  it  was  written  whilst  the  dispute  concerning  the  cir- 
cumcision of  Gentile  converts  was  fresh  in  men's  minds  ; 
for,  even  supposing  it  to  have  been  a  forgery,  the  only- 
credible  motive  that  can  be  assigned  for  the  forgery,  was 
to  bring  the  name  and  authority  of  the  apostle  into  this 
controversy.  No  design  could  be  so  insipid,  or  so  unlike- 
ly to  enter  into  the  thoughts  of  any  man,  as  to  produce  an 
epistle  written  earnestly  and  pointedly  upon  one  side  of  a 
controversytwhsn  the  controversy  itself  was  dead,  and  the 
question  no  longer  interesting  to  any  description  of  read- 
ers whatever.  Now  the  controversy  concerning  the  cir- 
cumcision of  the  Gentile  Christians  was  of  such  a  nature, 
that,  if  it  arose  at  all,  it  must  have  arisen  in  the  beginning 
of  Christianity.  As  Judea  was  the  scene  oi  the  Christian 
history  ;  as  the  author  and  preachers  of  Christianity  were 
Jews  ;  as  the  religion  itself  acknowledged  and  was  found- 
ed upon  the  Jewish  religion,  in  contradistinction  to  every 
other  religion  then  professed  amongst  mankind  ;  it  was 
not  to  be  wondered  at,  that  some  of  its  teachers  should  car- 
ry it  out  in  the  world  rather  as  a  sect  and  modification  of 
Judaism,  than  as  a  separate  original  revelation  ;  or  that 
they  should  invite  their  proselytes  to  those  observances, 
in  which  they  lived  themselves.  This  was  likely  to  hap- 
pen ;  but  if  it  did  not  happen  at  frst ;  if,  whilst  the  re- 
ligion was  in  the  hands  of  Jewish  teachers,  no  such  claim 
was  advanced,  no  such  condition  was  attempted  to  be  im- 
posed, it  is  not  probable  that  the  doctrine  would  be  startecf, 
much  less  that  it  should  prevail  in  any  future  period.  I 
likewise  ttiink,  that  those  pretensions  of  Judaism  weriJ 
H 


S6  THE   ZPISTLZ  TO  THE   GALATIAN'S. 

much  more  likely  to  be  insisted  upon,  whilst  the  Jews 
continued  a  nation,  than  after  their  fall  and  dispersion  ; 
whilst  Jerusalem  aijid  the  temple  stood,  than  after  tlie  des- 
truction brought  upon  them  by  the  Roman  arms,  the  fa- 
tal cessation  of  the  sacrifice  and  the  priestliood,  the  humil- 
iating loss  of  their  country,  and,  with  it,  of  the  great  rites 
and  symbols  of  their  institution.  It  sliould  seem  there- 
fore, from  the  nature  of  the  subject,  and  tlie  situation  of 
the  parties,  that  this  controversy  was  carried  on  in  the  in- 
terval between  the  preacliing  of  Christianity  to  the  Gen- 
tiles, and  the  invasion  of  Titus  ;  and  tliat  our  present  epi§.- 
tle,  which  was  undoubtedly  intended  to  bear  a  part  m 
th\s  controversy,  must  be  referred  to  tlie  same  period. 

But,  again,  the  epistle  supposes  that  certain  designing  ad- 
herents of  the  Jewish  law  had  crept  into  the  churches  of  Ga.- 
latia  ;  and  had  been  endeavouring,  and  but  too  successfully^ 
-to  persuade  the  Galatic  converts,  that  they  had  been  taught 
the  new  religion  imperfectly  and  at  second  hand  ;  that  tlie 
founder  of  their  church  himself  possessed  only  an  inferior 
^nd  deputed  commission,  the  seat  of  trutli  and  authority  be- 
ing in  the  apostles  and  elders  of  Jerusalem  ;  moreover,  that 
whatever  he  might  profess  amongst  them,  he  had  himself 
-at  other  times,  and  in  other  places,  given  way  to  the  doc- 
trine of  circumcision.  The  epistle  is  uninteUigible  with- 
out supposing  all  this.  Referring  therefore  to  this,  as  to 
what  had  actually  passed,  we  find  St.  Paul  treating  so 
unjust  an  attempt  to  undermine  his  credit,  and  to  introduce 
amongst  his  converts  a  doctrine  which''he  had  uniformly 
reprobated,  in  terms  of  great  asperity  and  indignatioii. 
And  in  order  to  refute  the  suspicions  which  had  been  rais- 
ed concerning  the  fidelity  of  his  teaching,  as  well  as  to  as- 
sert the  independency  and  divine  original  of  his  mission, 
we  find  him  appealing  to  the  ^listory  of  his  conversion,  te 
his  conduct  under  it,  to  the  manner  in  which  he  had  con- 
ferred with  the  apostles  when  he  met  with  them  at  Jerusa- 
lem ,•  alledging,  that  so  far  was  his  doctrine  from  being 
icriyed  froin  them,  or  they  from  exercising  any  supcxiori- 


THE    tPISTLE  TO  THE   GALATIANS,  87 

ty  over  him,  that  they  had  simply  assented  to  what  ha 
had  already  preached  amongst  the  Gentiles,  and  which 
preaching  was  communicated  not  by  them  to  him,  but  by 
himself  to  then!  ;  that  he  had  maintained  the  liberty  of 
the  Gentile  church,  by  opposing,  upon  one  occasion,  an 
aposde  to  the  face,  when  the  timidity  of  his  behaviouc 
seemed  to  endanger  it ;  that  from  the  first,  that  all  along, 
that  to  that  hour  he  had  constantly^  resisted  the  claims  of 
Judaism  ;  and  that  the  persecutions  which  he  daily  -un- 
derwent, at  the  hands  or  by  the  instigation  of  the  Jews» 
and  of  which  he  bore  in  his  person  the  marks  and  scars, 
might  have  been  avoided  by  him,  if  he  had  consented  ta 
employ  his  labors  in  bringing,  through  the  medium  of 
Ghristianity,  converts  over  to  the  Jewish  institution,  for 
then  "  would  the  offence  of  the  cross  have  ceased."  Now 
an  impostor  who  had  forged  the  epistle  for  the  purpose 
of  producing  St,  PauPs  authority  in  the  dispute,  which» 
as  hath  been  observed,  is  the  only  credible  motive  that 
oan  be  assigned  for  the  forgery,  might  have  made  the 
apostle  deliver  his  opinion  upon  the  subject,  in  strong  and 
decisive  terms,  or  might  have  put  his  name  to  a  train  of 
reasoning  and  argumentation  upon  that  side  of  the  ques- 
tion, which  the  imposljure  was  intended  to  recommend.  I 
can  allow  the  possibility  of  such  a  scheme  as  that.  But 
for  a  writer,  with'  this  purpose  in  viev;,  to  feign  a  series 
of  transactions  supposed  to  have  passed  amongst  the 
Christians  of  Galatia,  and  tlien  to  counterfeit  expressions 
of  anger  and  resentment  excited  by  these  transactions ;  to 
make  the  apostle  travel  back  into  his  own  history,  and  into 
a  recital  of  various  passages  of  his  life,  some  indeed  direct- 
ly, bat  others  obliquely,  and  others  even  obscurely  bear- 
ing upon  the  point  in  question  ;  in  a  word,  to  substitute 
narrative  for  argument,  expostulation  and  complaint  for 
dogmatic  positions  and  controversial  reasoning,  in  a  writing 
■properly  controversial,  and  o£. which  the  aim  and  design 
was  to  support  one  side  of  a  much  agitated  question,  is  a 
method  so  intricate,  and  so  unlike  tlie  methods  pursued  by 


S8  THE   EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATIANS. 

all  Other  impostors,  as  to  require  very  flagrant  proofs  of 
imposition  to  induce  us  to  believe  it  to  be  one. 


In  this  number  I  shall  endeavour  to  prove, 

1.  That  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians,  and  the  Acts  of 
the  Apostles,  were  written  without  any  communication 
with  each  other. 

2.  That  th?  epistle,  though  written  without  any  com- 
munication with  the  history,  by  recital,  implication,  or 
reference,  bears  testimony  to  many  of  the  facts  contained 
in  it. 

I.  The  epistle  and  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  were  writv 
ten  without  any  communication  with  each  other. 

To  judge  of  this  point,  we  must  examine  those  passages 
in  each,  which  describe  the  same  transaction ;  for  if  the 
autlior  of  either  writing  derived  his  information  from  the 
account  which  he  had  seen  in  the  other,  when  he  came  to 
«peak  of  the  same  transaction,  he  would  follow  that  ac- 
count. The  history  of  St.  Paul,  at  Damascus,  as  read  in 
the  Acts,  and  as  referred  to  by  the  epistle,  forms  an  ir^ 
stance  of  this  sort.  According  to  the  A.cts,  Paul  (after 
his  conversion)  was  certain  days  with  the  "  disciples  which 
<*  were  at  Damascus.  And  straightway  he  preached 
**  Christ  in  the  synagogues,  that  he  is  the  Son  of  God. 
*'  But  all  that  heard  him  were  amazed,  and  said,  is  not 
•*  this  he  which  destroyed  them  which  called  on  this  name 
**  in  Jerusalem,  and  came  hither  for  that  intent,  that  he 
**  might  bring  them  bound  unto  the  chief  priests  ?  But 
«  Saul  increased  the  more  in  strength,  confounding  the 
«  Jews  which  were  at  Damascus,  proving  that  this  is  very 
*'  Christ.  And  after  that  many  days  were  fulfilled,  the 
**  Jews  took  counsel  to  kill  him.  But  their  laying  wait 
**  was  known  of  Saul ;  and  they  watched  the  gates  day 
'*  and  night  to  kill  him.  Then  the  disciples  took  him  by 
«*  liight  £^nd  let  him  down  by  the  wall  in  a  basket.    Aikd 


TH8   EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATlANS.  S^ 

*'  when  Saiil  was  come  to  Jerusalem,  he  assayed  to  join 
«  himself  to  the  disciples."     Acts,  chap.  ix.  19 — 26. 

According  to  the  epistle,  "  when  it  pleased  God,  who 
«  separated  me  from  my  mother's  womb,  and  called  mo 
"  by  his  grace,  to  reveal  his  own  son  in  me,  that  I  might 
**  preach  him  among  the  heathen,  immediately  I  confer- 
<*  red  not  with  flesh  and  blood,  neither  went  I  up  to  Jeru- 
**  sal.^m  to  them  which  were  apostles  before  me  ;  but  I 
**  went  into  Arabia,  returned  again  to  Damascus  j  then, 
^  after  three  years,  I  went  up  to  Jerusalem.'* 

Beside  the  diiference  observable  in  tlie  terms  and  gene* 
ral  complexion  of  these  two  accounts,  **  the  journey  into 
**  Arabia,"  mentioned  in  the  epistle,  and  omitted  in  the 
history,  affords  full  proof  that  there  existed  no  correspon- 
dence between  these  wTiters.  If  the  narrative  in  the  Acts 
had  bsen  made  up  from  the  epistle,  it  is  impossible  that 
this  journey  should  have  been  passed  over  in  silence  ;  if 
tlie  Epistle  had  been  composed  out  of  what  the  author  had 
read  of  St.  Paul's  history  in  the  Acts,  it  is  unaccountably 
that  it  should  have  been  inserted.^ 

The  journey  to  Jerusaleiti  related  in  the  second  chapter 
of  the  Epistle  («' then,  fourteen  years  after,  I  went  up 
♦♦  again  to  Jerusalem," )  supplies  another  example  of  the 
same  kind.  Either  this  v/as  the  journey  described  in  the 
fifteenth  chapter  of  the  ActSj  when  Paul  and  Eamabas 
were  sent  from  Antioch  to  Jerusalem,  to  consult  the  apos^ 
ties  and  elders  upon  the  question  of  the  Gentile  converts  ; 
or  it  was  some  journey  of  which  the  history  does  not  take 
notice.      If  the  first  opinion  be  followed,  the  discrepancy 

*  N.  S.  The  Acts  of  the  Apostles  simply  imforra  us  that  St.  Paul 
left  Damascus  in  order  to  go  to  Jerusalem,  "  after  many  days  were 
«  fulfilled."  If  any  one  doubt  whethei*  the  words  "  many  days'* 
could  be  intended  to  express  a  period  which  included  a  term  of  thre« 
years,  he  will  find  a  complete  instance  of  the  same  phrase  used  with 
the  same  latitude  in  the  first  book  of  Kings,  ch.  xi.  38,  39.  "  And 
"  ohimei  dwelt  at  Jerusalem  rtiany  days  .-"  and  it  came  to  pass,  at  tba 
*nd  qI  three  ^ears^  «  that  two  of  the  servants  of  Shimei  Ian  away»" 
H  2 


<)0  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATlAWy, 

in  the  two  accounts  is  so  considerable,  tliat  it  is  not  with- 
out difficulty  they  can  be  adapted  to  the  same  transaction  ; 
so  that,  upon  this  supposition,,  there  is  no  place  for  sus- 
pecting that  the  writers  were  guided  or  assisted  by  each- 
other.  If  the  latter  opinion  be  preferred,  we  have  then  a 
journey  to  Jerusalem,  and  a  conference  with  the  principal 
members  of  the  church  there,  circumstantially  related  in 
the  epistle,  and  entirely  omitted  in  the  Acts  ;  and  we  are- 
at  liberty  to  repeat  the  observation,  which  we  before  made, 
that  the  omission  of  so  material  a  fact  in  the  history  is  in- 
explicable, if  the  historian  had  lead  the  epistle  ;  and  that 
the  insertion  of  it  in  the  epistle,  if  the  writer  derived  his- 
information  from  the  history,  is  not  less  so. 

St  Peter's  visit  to  Antioch,  during  which  the  dispute  a- 
rose  between  him  aad  St^  Paul^  is  not  meritioned  in  the 
Acts. 

If  we  connect,  with  these  instances,  the  general  obser- 
vation, that  no  scrutiny  can  discover  the  smallest  trace  of 
transcription  or  imitation  either  in  things  or  words,  we 
shall  be  fully  satisfied  in  this  part  of  our  case  ;  namely, 
that  the  two  records,  be  the  facts  contained  in  them  true 
or  false,  come  to  our  hands  from  independent  sources. 

Secondly,  I  say  that  the  epistle,  thus  proved  to  have 
"been  written  without  any  communication  with  the  history,  . 
bears  testimony  to  a  great  variety  of  particulars  contained 
in  the  history. 

1 .  St.  Paul  in  the  early  part  of  his  life  had  addicted 
himself  to  the  study  of  the  Jewish  religion,  and  was  distin- 
fTuished  by  his  zeal  for  the  institution,  and  for  the  tradi- 
tions which  had  been  incorporated  with  it.  Upon  this 
part  of  his  character  the  history  makes  St.  Paul  speak 
thus  ;  "  I  am  verily  a  man  which  am  a  Jew,  born  in  Tar- 
,**  sus,  a  city  of  Cilicia,  yet  brought  up  in  this  city,  at  the 
•*  feet  of  Gamaliel,  and  taught  according  to  the  perfect 
.  •*  manner  of  the  law  of  the  fathers ;  and  was  zealous  to- 
**  wards  God,  as  ye  all  are  Uiis  day.*^  Acts,  chap. 
3txU.  3. 


THfc  EPISTLE  TG  THE  GALATIAN^.  9l 

The  epistle  is  as  follows ;  **  I  profited  in  the  Jews  re- 
♦*  ligion  above  many  my  equals  in  nine  own  nation,  be-. 
"  ing  more  exceedingly  zealous  of  tlie  traditions  of  my  fa- 
*'  thers."     Chap.  i.  14. 

2.  St.  Paul,  before  his  conversion,  had  been  a  fierce 
persecutor  of  the  new  sect.  '*  As  for  Saul,  he  made  hav- 
*'  oc  of  the  church  ;  entering  into  every  house,  and,  hal- 
«  ing  men  and  women,  committed  them  to  prison."  Acts, 
chap.  viii.  3, 

This  is  the  history  of  St.  Fanl,  as  delivered  in  the  Acts ; 
in  the  recital  of  his  own  history  in  the  epistle,  "  Ye  have 
*'  heard,"  says  he,  "  of  my  conversation  in  times  past  in 
*'  the  Jews  religion,  how  that  beyond  measure  I  persecut- 
«  ed  the  church  of  God."     Chap.  i.  13. 

3.  St.  Paul  was  miraculously  converted  on  his  Vv^ay  to 
Damascus.  "  And  as  he  journeyed  he  came  near  to  Da- 
*^  mascus  ;  and  suddenly  there  shined  round  about  him  a 
"  light  from  heaven  ;  and  he  fell  to  the  earth,  and  heard 
"  a  voice  saying  unto  him,  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest 
"  thou  me?  And  he  said.  Who  art  thou.  Lord  ?  And  the 
"  Lord  said,  I  am  Jesus,  whom  thou  persecutest ;  it  is 
"  hard  for  thee  to  kick  against  the  pricks.  And  he,  trem- 
"  bling 'and  astonished,  said,  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have 
"  me  to  do  ?"  Acts.  chap.  ix.  3 — 6.  With  these  com- 
pare the  epistle,  chap.  i.  15 — ry.  *'  When  it  pleased 
"  God,  who  separated  me  from  my  mother's  womb,  and 
*'  called  me  by  his  grace  to  reveal  his  son  in  me,  that  I 
*'  might  preach  him  among  the  heathen  ;  immediately  I 
«'  conferred  not  with  flesh  and  blood,  neither  went  I  up  to 
*'  Jerusalem,  to  them  that  were  apostles  before  me  ;  but 
<*  I  went  into  Arabia,  and  returned  again  unto  Damas- 
"  cus." 

In  this  quotation  from  the  epistle,  I  desire  it  to  be  re- 
marked how  incidently  it  appears,  that  the  affair  passed  at 
Damascus.  In  what  may  be  called  the  direct  part  of  the 
account,  no  mention  is  made  of  the  place  of  his  conversion 
at  all ;  a  casual  expression  tit  the  end,  and  an  expression 


^t  THS   BPISTLl  TO  THE  CALATIANS. 

brought  in  for  a  diiFerent  purpose,  alone  fixes  it  to  hare 
been  at  Damascus.  "  I  returned  again  to  Damascus." 
Nothiiv^  can  be  more  like  simplicity  and  undesignedness 
than  this  is.  It  also  draws  the  agreement  between  the 
twD  quotations  somewhat  closer,  to  observe  that  they  both 
state  St.  Paul  to  have  preached  the  gospel  immediately 
upon  his  call.  "  And  straightway  he  preached  Christ  in 
«  the  synagogues,  that  he  is  the  son  of  God,'*  Acts,  ch»- 
ix.  20.  "  When  it  pleased  God  to  reveal  his  son  in  me, 
**  that  I  might  preach  him  among  the  heathen,  immedi- 
"  ately  I  conferred  not  wldi  flesh  and  blood."  Gal.  chap, 
i.  15.^ 

4.  The  course  of  the  apostle's  travels  after  his  conver- 
sion was  this.  He  went  from  Dam.ascus  to  Jerusalem,  and 
from  Jerusalem  into  Syria  and  Cllicia.  "  At  Damascus  the 
disciples  took  "  him  by  night,  awd  let  him  d  yvvn  by  the  wall 
**  in  a  basket ;  and  when  Saul  was  come  to  Jerusalem,  he  as- 
"  sayed  to  join  himself  to  the  disciples."  Acts  chap.  ix.  25, 
Afterwards,  "  when  the  brethren  knew  the  conspiracy 
"  formed  against  him  at  Jerusalem,  they  brought  him 
""  down  to  Cassarea,  and  sent  him  forth  to  Tarsus,  a  city 
**  in  Cilicia."  Chap.  ix.  30.  In  the  epistle  St.  Paul  gives 
tlie  following  brief  account  of  his  proceedings  within  the 
same  pericKl,  "  After  three  years  I  went  to  Jerusalem  to 
••  see  Peter,  and  abode  widi  him  fifteen  days  ;  aftenvards 
**  I  came  into  the  regions  of  S^ia  and  Criicia."  The  his- 
tory had  told  that  Paul  passed  from  Caesarea  to  Tarsus. 
If  he  took  this  journey  by  land,  it  would  carry  him  through 
Syria  into  Cilicia  ;  and  he  would  come,  after  his  visit  at 
Jerusalem,  *'  into  the  regions  of  Syria  and  Cilicia,"  in  the 
vety  order  in  which  he  mtntlons  them  in  the  epistle.  This 
supposition  of  his  going  from  Ciissarea  to  Tarsus  ^y^  landy 
clears  up  also  another  point.  It  accounts  for  what  St. 
Paul  says  in  the  same  place  concerning  the  churches  of 
Judea  ;  *'  Afterwards  I  came  into  the  regions  of  Syria 
**  and  Cllicia,  and  was  Unknown  by  face  unto  the  church- 
«*  es  of  Judea,  wliich  were  m  Clirist  j,  but  tliey  bad  h^id 


THE   EPISTLE  TO  THE   GALAT1AN$.  pj 

«*  only  that  he  which  persecuted  us  in  times  past,  now 
«  preacheth  the  faith,  which  once  he  destroyed  ;  and  they 
"  glorified  God  in  me."  Upon  which  passage  T  observe, 
first,  that  what  is  here  said  of  the  churches  of  Judea,  is 
spoken  in  connection  with  his  journey  into  the  regions  of 
Syria  and  Cilicia.  Secondly,  that  the  passage  itself  has 
little  significancy,  and  tliat  the  connection  is  inexplicable, 
unless  St.  Paul  went  through  Judea*  (though  probably  by 
a  hasty  journey)  at  the  time  he  came  into  the  regions  of 
Syria  and  Cilicia..  Suppose  him  to  have  passed  by  land 
from  Cassarea  to  Tarsus,  all  tliis,  as  hath  been  observed, 
would  be  precisely  truci. 

5.  Barnabas  was  with  St.  Paul  at  Antioch.  "  Theit 
**  departed  Barnabas  to  Tarsus,  for  to  seek  Saul ;  and 
"  when  he  had  found  him,  he  brought  him  unto  Anti- 
**  och.  And  it  came  to  pass  that  a  whole  year  they  assem- 
<*  bled  themselves  with  the  church."  Acts,  chap.  xi.  25,  2&. 
Again  and  upon  another  occasion,  **  they  (Paul  and  Bar- 
**  nabas)  sailed  to  Antioch  ;  and  there  they  continued  a 
**  long  tim.e  with  the  disciples."     Chap.  xiv.  26. 

Now  what  says  the  epistle?  "  When  •Peter  was  come 
•*  to  Antioch,  I  withstood  him  to  the  face,  because  he  was 
*•  to  be  blamed  ;  and  the  other  Jews  dissembled  likewise 
•*  with  him  j  insom.uch  that  Barnabas  also  was  carried 
•*  away  with  their  dissimulation."     Chap.  ii.  11.  13. 

6.  The  stated  residence  of  the  apostles  was  at  Jerusa- 
lem. "  At  that  time  there  was  a  great  persecution  against 
"  the  church  which  was  at  Jerusalem  ;  and  they  were  all 
•*  scattered  abroad  throughout  the  regions  of  Judea  and 
*'  Samaria,  except  the  apostles."  Acts,  chap*  viii.  i. 
<*  They  (tlie  Christians  at  Antioch)  determined  that  Paul 
**  and  Barnabas  should  go  up  to  Jerusalem,  unto  the  apos- 

*  Dr.  Doddridge  thought  that  the  Caesarea  here  mentioned  w«g 
not  the  celebrated  city  of  tliat  name  upon  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  but 
Caesarea  Phillippi,  near  tlie  borders  of  Syria,  which  lies  in  a  much 
more  direct  line  from  Jerusalem  to  Tar^us'than  the  other.  The  ob- 
jection to  this,  Dr.  Benson  remarks,  is,  that  Caesarea,  without  any  addi- 
tion, usually  denotes  C«5area,PaI.estins, 


^4  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE   GALATIANS. 

**  ties  and  elders,  about  this  question."  Acts,  chap.  xv. 
2.  Vv^ich  these  accounts  agrees  the  declaration  in  the  epis- 
tie ;  *'  Neither  went  I  up  to  Jerusalem  to  them  which  were 
apostles  before  me,"  chap,  i:  1 7  ;  for  this  declaration  im* 
plies,  or  rather  assumes  it  to  be  known,  that  Jerusalem  was 
the  place  where  the  apostles  Were  to  be  met  with. 

7.  There  were  at  Jerusalem  tVv'o  apostles,  or  at  the 
kast  two  eminent  members  of  the  church,  of  the  name  of 
James.  This  is  directly  inferred  from  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles,  which  in  the  second  verse  of  the  twelfth  chapter 
relates  the  death  of  James,  the  brother  of  John  ;  and  yet  in 
the  fifteenth  chapter,  and  in  a  subsequent  part  of  the  histo^ 
ry,  records  a  speech  delivered  by  Jvtmes  in  •  the  assembly 
of  the  apostles  and  elders.  It  is  also  strongly  implied  by 
the  form  of  expression  used  in  the  epistle.  "  Other  apos^ 
•'  ties  saw  I'none,  save  James,  the  Lord's  brother  ;"  i.  e. 
J*©^  distinguish  him  from  James  the  brother  of  John. 
.  To  us  who  have  been  long  conversant  in  the  Christian 
history,  as  contained  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  thesft 
points  are  obvious  and  familiar  ;  nor  do  we  readily  appre* 
hend  any  greater  difficulty  in  making  them  appear  in  a 
letter  purporting  to  have  been  written  by  St.  Paul,  than 
^there  is  in  Introducing  them  Into  a  modern  sermon.  Birt 
to  judge  correctly  of  the  argument  before  us,  we  must  dis- 
charge this  knowledge  from  our  thoughts.  We  must  prow 
pose  to  ourselves  the  situation  of  an  author  who  sat  down 
to  the  writing  of  the  epistle  without  having  seen  the  histo- 
ry ;  and  then  the  concurrences  we  have  deduced  will  be 
deemed  of  importance..  They  will  at  least  be  taken  for 
separate  confirmations  of  the  several  facts,  and  not  only  cxf 
these  particular  facts,  but  of  the  general  truth  of  the  his*- 
tory.  ' 

For,  what  is  the  rale  with  respect  to  corroborative  testi- 
mony wliich  prevails -in  courts  of  justice,  and  which  pre-- 
vails  only  because  experience  has  pioved  that  it  is  an  use- 
•  ful  guide  to  truth  ?    A  principal  witness  in  a  cause  deliv- 
ers his  accou^ ;  his  narrative,  in  certain  parts  of  it,  is  cony 


THE   EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATIANS.  9^ 

firft-:<id  by  witnesses  who  are  called  afterwards.  The  cred- 
it, derived  from  their  testimony  belongs  not  only  to  the  par- 
ticular circumstances  in  which  the  auxiliary  witnesses  agree 
with  the  principal  witness,  but  in  some  measure  to  the 
whole  of  his  evidence  ;  because  it  is  improbable  that  acci- 
dent or  fiction  should  draw  a  line  which  touched  upon 
trutli  in  so  many  points. 

In  like  manner,  if  two  records  be  produced,  manifestly 
independent,  that  is,  manifestly  written  without  any  par- 
ticipation of.inttlligence,  an  agreement  between  them,  even 
in  few  and  slight  circumstances  (especially  if,  from  the 
d-ifferent  nature  and  design  of  the  writings,  few  points  on- 
ly of  agreement,  and  those  incidental,  could  be  expected 
to  occur, )  would  add  a  sensible  weight  to  the  authority 
of  both,  in  every  part  of  their  contents. 

The  same  rule  is  applicable  to  history,  with  at  JfCast  as 
.much  reason  as  any  other  species  of  evidence. 

No.  III. 

'But  although  the  references  to  various  particulars  in  the 
jepistle,  compared  with  the  direct  account  of  tlie  same  par- 
ticulars in  the  history,  afford  a  considerable  proof  of  the 
■trutli  not  only  of  these  particulars- but  of  the  narrative 
which  contains  them ;  yet  they  do  not  shew,  it  will  be 
said,  that  the  epistle  was  written  -by  St.  Paul ;  for  admit- 
ting (what  seems  to  have  been  proved)  that  the  writer, 
whoever  he  was,  had  no  recourse  to  the  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles, yet  many  of  the  facts  referred  to,  such  as  St.  Paul's 
miraculous  conversion,  his  change  from  a  virulent  perse- 
cutor to  an  indefatigable  preacher,  his  labors  amongst  the 
Gentiles,  and  his  zeal  for  the  liberties  of  the  Gentile  church, 
were  so  notorious  as  to  ocCur  readily  to  the  mind  of  any 
Christian,  who  should  choose  to  personate  his  character, 
and  counterfeit  his  name  ;  it  was  only  to  write  what  eve- 
ry body  knew.  Now  I  think  that  this  supposition,  viz. 
that  the  epistle  v%^as  composed  upon  general  information, 
and  the  general  publicity  of  the  facts  alluded  to,  and  that 


pd  THE   EPISTLE    TO  THE  CALATIAKS. 

the  author  did  no  more  than  weave  into  his  work  what  tJie 
common  fame  of  the  Christian  church  had  reported  to  his 
ears,  is  repelled  by  the  particularity  of  the  recitals  and  ref- 
erences. This  particularity  is  observable  in  the  follo\Ying 
instances ;  in  perusing  which,  I  desire  the  reader  to  reflect, 
whether  they  exhibit  the  language  of  a  man  who  had 
nothing  but  general  reputation  to  proceed  upon,  or  of  a 
man  actually  speaking  of  himself  and  of  his  own  history, 
and  consequently  of  things  concerning  which  he  possesed 
a  clear,  intimate,  and  circumstantial  knowledge. 

1.  The  history,  in  giving  an  account  of  St.  Paul  after 
his  conversion,  relates,  *'  that,  after  many  days,"  effect- 
ing, by  the  assistance  of  the  disciples  his  escape  from  Da- 
mascus, "  he  proceeded  to  Jerusalem."  Acts,  chap.  ix. 
25.  The  epistle,  speaking  of  the  same  period,  makes  St. 
Paul  say  that  "  he  went  into  Arabia,"  that  he  returned 
again  to  Damascus,  that  after  three  years  he  went  up  to 
Jerusalem.     Chap.  i.  17,  J  8. 

2.  The  history  relates,  that,  when  Saul  was  come  from 
Damascus,  "  he  was  with  the  disciples  coming  in  and  gOr 
**  ingout."  Acts,  chap.  ix.  28.  The  epistle,  describing 
the  same  journey,  tells  us  **  that  he  went  up  to  Jerusalem 
"  to  see  Peter,  and  abode  with  him  fifteen  days."  Chapv 
i.  18. 

3.  The  history  relates,  that,  when  Paul  was  come  to 
Jerusalem,  "  Barnabas  took  him  and  brought  him  to  the 
**  apostles."  Acts,  chap.  ix.  27.  The  epistle,  "  that  he 
•*  saw  Peter ;  but  other  of  the  apostles  saw  he  none,  save 
•*  James,  the  Lord's  brother."     Chap.  i.  19. 

Now  this  is  as  it  should  be.  The  historian  delivers  his 
account  in  general  terms,  as  of  facts  to  which  he  was  not 
present.  The  person  who  is  the  subject  of  that  account, 
when  he  comes  to  speak  of  these  facts  himself,  particular- 
izes time,  names,  and  circumstances. 

4.  The  like  notation  of  places,  persons,  and  dates,  is  met 
with  in  the  account  of  St.  Paul's  jouniey  to  Jerusalem, 
given  in  the  second  chapter  of  the  epistle.     It  was  fourteen 


THE   EPISTLE  TO  THE   GALATIANS.  97 

years  after  his  conversion  ;  it  was  in  company  -^ith  Bar- 
nabas and  Titus  ;  it  was  then  that  he  met  with  James, 
Cephas,  and  John  ;  it  was  then  also  that  it  was  agreed 
amongst  them,  that  they  should  go  to  the  circumcision, 
and  he  unto  the  Gentiles. 

5.  The  dispute  with  Peter,  which  occupies  the  sequel 
of  the  second  chapter,  is  marked  with  the  same  particu- 
larity.  It  was  at  Antioch  ;  it  was  after  certain  came 
from  James  ;  it  was  whilst  Barnabas  was  there,  who  was 
carried  away  by  their  dissimulation.  These  examples  nega- 
tive the  insinuation,  that  the  epistle  presents  nothing  but 
mdefinite  allusions  to  public  facts. 

No,  IF. 

Chap.  IV.  11 — 16.  "  I  am  afraid  of  you,  lest  I  have 
•*  bestowed  upon  you  labor  in  vain.  Brethren,  I  beseech 
"  you,  be  as  I  am,  for  I  am  as  ye  are.  Ye  have  not  in- 
•*  jured  me  at  all.  Ye  know  how,  through  infirmity  of 
«•  the  flesh,  I  preached  the  gospel  unto  you  at  the  first ; 
"  and  tmf  tetnptattGny  nvhich  nvas  in  thefiesh^  ye  despised  not, 
•*  nor  rejected ;  but  received  me  as  an  angel  of  God,, even 
•'  as  Christ  Jesus.  Where  is  then  the  blessedness  you 
"**  spake  of  ?  for  T  bear  you  record,  that,  if  it  had  been 
"  possible,  ye  would  have  plucked  out  your  own  eyes,  and 
**  have  given  them  unto  me.  Am  I  therefore  become 
*•  your  enemy,  because  I  tell  you  the  truth  ?'* 

With  this  passage  compare  1  Cor.  chap,  xii.  i — 9.  "  It 
«  is  not  expedient  for  me,  doubtless,  to  glory  ;  Ivlll  come 
<*  to  visions  and  revelations  of  the  Lord.  I  knew  a  man 
"  in  Christ  above  fourteen  years  ago '(whether  in  the  body 
"  I  cannot  tell,  or  whether  oiit  of  the  body  I  cannot  tell ; 
"  God  knoweth);  such  an  one  was  cau^-htup  to  the  third 
<*  heaven  ;  and  I  knew  such  a  man  (whether  in  ths  body 
"  or  out  of  the  body  I  cannot  tell,  God  knoweth),  how 
'•  that  he  was  caught  up  intoParadise,and  heard  upspeaka- 
I 


9^  THE    EPISTLE  TO   THE  GALATIAKS. 

."  ble  \vorJs,  which  it  is  not  lawful  for  a  man  to  utter. 
.«  Of  such  a  one  will  I  glory,  yet  of  myself  will  I  notglg- 
**  ry,  but  in  mine  infirmities  ;  for,  though!  would  desire  to 
«*  glory,  I  shall  not  be  a  fcbl.;  for  I  will  say  the  truth. 
**  But  now  I  forbear,  lest  any  man  should  think  of  me 
•*  above  that  which  he  seeth  me  to  be,  or  that  he  heareth 
"  of  me.  And  lest  I  should  be,  exalted  above  measure,  , 
**  through  the  abundance  of  the  revelations,  there  was  giv- 
'**  en  to  me  a  thorn  in  thefesh,  the  messenger  of  Satan  to  huf- 
^  Jet  me,  lest  I  should  be  exalted  above  measure.  For 
"  this  thing  I  besought  the  Lord  thrice,  tliat  it  might  de- 
•*  part  from  me.  And  he  said  unto  me,  my  grace  is  suf- 
•*  ficient  for  thee  ;  for  my  strength  is  made  perfect  in  weal^- 
•*  ness.  Most  gladly  therefore  will  I  rather  glory  in  my 
**  infirmities,  that  the  power  of  Christ  may  rest  upon 
."me." 

There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  **  the  temptation  which 
**  was  In  the  flesh,"  mentioned  In  the  E^pistle  to  the  Ga-» 
latians,  and  "  the  them,  in  the  flesh,  the  messenger  of  Sa- 
-*tan  to  buffet  him/*  mentloHed  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Cq» 
/mthians,  were  intended  to  denote  the  same  thing.  Eip 
ther  therefore  it  v/as,  what  we  pretend  it  to  have  been,  tlic 
same  person  in  both,  alluding,  as  the  occasion  led  him» 
to  some  bodily  infirmity  under  which  he  labored  ;  that  is» 
we  arc  reading  the  re?.l  letters  of  a  real  apostle  ;  or,  it  wa^s 
that  2  sophist,  Vv'lio  li?.il  seen  the  cljcumstance  in.  one  cpls- 
de,  contrived,  for  the  sake  of  correspondency,  to  bring  It 
into  another  :  or,  lastly,  It  v;as  a  circumstance  in  St.  Paul's 
personal  condition,  supposed  to  be  well  known  to  those  In» 
to  whose  hands  the  epistle  was  likely  to  fall ;  and,  for  that 
.i;cason,  Intreduced  into  a  writing  designed  to  bear  -his 
name.  I  have  extracted  the  quotations  at  length*,  in lOr- 
^er  to  enable  the  reader  to  judge  accurately  of  th^e  man- 
ner in  which  the  mention  of  this  particular  comes  in,  in 
each  ;  because  that  judgment,  I  think,  will  acquit  the  au- 
thors of  the  epistle  of  the  charge  of  having  studiously  in- 
?5med  it,  either  with  a  view  of  producing  ;.an  .apparent 


THE  EPISTLE   TO  THE   GALATIANS.  99 

agreement  betw'cen  them,  or  for  any  other  purpose  what- 
ever. 

The  context,  by  which  the  circumstance  before  us  Is 
introduced,  is  in  the  two  places  totally  different,  and  with- 
out  any  mark  of  imitation ;  yet  in  both  places  does  the 
circumstance  rise  aptly  and  naturally  out  of  the  context, 
and  that  context  from  the  train  of  thought  carried  on  in 
the  epistle. 

The  Epistle  to  the  Galatians,  from  the  beginning  to  the 
end,  runs  in  a  strain  of  angry  complaint  of  tlieir  defection 
from  the  apostle,  and  from  the  principles  which  he  had 
taught  them.  It  was  very  natural  to  contrast  with  this 
conduct,  the  zeal  with  which  they  had  once  received  him  ; 
and  it  was  not  less  so  to  mention,  as  a  proof  of  their  former 
disposition  towards  him,  the  indulgence  which,  whilst  he 
was  amongst  thdm,  they  had  shewn  to  his  infirmity. 
"  My  temptation  which  was  in  the  flesh  ye  despised  not, 
*«  nor  rejected,  but  received  me  as  an  angel  of  G«d,  even 
•*  as  Christ  Jesiis.  Where  is  then  the  blessedness  you 
*♦  spake  of,  u  e.  the  benedictions  which  you  bestowed  up- 
•«  on  me  ?  for  I  bear  you  record,  that  if  it  had  been  possi- 
**  ble,  ye  would  have  plucked  but  your  own  eyes,  and  have 
•«  given  them  to  me." 

In  the  two  epistles  to  the  Corinthians,  especially  in  thft 
second,  we  have  the  apostle,  contending  with  certain 
teachers  in  Corinth/who  had  formed  a  party  in  that  church 
against  him.  To  vindicate  his  personal  authority,  as  well^ 
as  the  dignity  and  credit  of  his  ministry  amongst  them,  he 
takes  occasion  (but  not  without  apologizing  repeatedly  for 
the  folly,  that  is,  the  indecorum  of  pronouncing  his  pane- 
gyric)* to  meet  his    adversaries    in  their  boastings  ; 

*  "  Would  to  God  you  would  bear  with  me  a  litde  in  my  folly,  and 
*•  indeed  bear  with  me  !'*  Chap.  xi.  I. 

"  That  which  I  speak,  I  speak  it  not  after  the  Lord,  but  as  it  were ' 
<•  foolishly,  in  this  cenfidence  of  boasting."     Chap.  xi.  17. 

***  I  am  become  a  fool  in  glorying,  ye  have  compelled  me,'*  Chap,  • 
xii.  XI. 


100  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATlANt. 

•*  Wherein  soever  any  is  bold  (I  speak  foolishly)  I  aia 
<*  bold  also.  Are  they  Hebrews  ?  so  am  I.  Are  they  Is- 
«<  raelites  >  so  am  I..  Are  they  the  seed  of  Abraham  ? 
**  so  am  I.  Are  they  the  ministers  of  Christ  (I  speak  as  a 
**  fool)  I  am  more  ;  in  labors  more  abundant,  in  stripes 
<*  above  measure,  in  prisons  more  frequent,  in  deaths  oft." 
Being  led  to  the  subject,  he  goes  on,  as  was  natural,  to 
recount  his  trials  and  dangers,  his  incessant  cares  and  la- 
bors in  the  Christian  mission.  From  the  proofs  which  he 
had  given  of  his  zeal  and  activity  in  the  service  of  Christ, 
he  passes  (and  tliatwith  the  same  view  of  establishing  his 
claim  to  be  considered  as  "  not  a  whit  behind  the  very 
♦*  chiefest  of  the  apostles)"  to  the  visions  and  revelations 
which  from  time  to  time  had  been  vouchsafed  to  himi 
And  then,  by  a  close  and  easy  connection,  comes  in  the 
mention  of  his  infirmity.  Lest  I  should  be  exalted,  says 
he,  *'  above  measure,  through  the  abundance  of  revela-^ 
**  tions,  there  was  given  to  me  a  thorn  in  the  flesh,,  the 
«•  messenger  of  ISatan  to  buffet  me," 

Thus  then,  in  both  epistles,  the  notice  of  his  infirmity 
IS  suited  to  the  place  in  which  it  is  found.  In  the  Epistle 
to  the  Corinthians,  the  train  of  thought  draws  up  to  the 
circumstance  by  a  regular  approximation.  In  the  epistle 
it  is  suggested  by  the  subject  and  occasion  of  the  epistle  it- 
self. Whick  observation  we  offer  as  an  argument  to  prove 
that  it  is  not,  in  either  epistle,  a  circumstance  industrious- 
ly brought  forward  for  the  sake  of  procuring  credit  to  aa 
imposture. 

A  reader  will  be  taught  to  perceive  the  force  of  this 
argument,  who  shall  attempt  to  introduce  a  given  circum- 
stance into  the  body  of  a  writing.  To  do  this  without  ab- 
ruptness, or  without  betraying  marks  of  design  in  the  transi- 
tion, requires,  he  will  find,  more  art  than  he  expected  to 
be  necessary,  certainly  more  than  any  one  can  believe  ta 
"have  been  exercised  in  the  composition  of  these  epistles^ 


THE   EPISTLE  TO  THE   GALATIANS.  lOt" 

No,  V. 

Chap,  iv  29.  "But  as  then  he  that  was  born  after  the 
««  flesh  persecuted  him  iliat  was  bom  after  tlie  spirit,  :;ven 
•<  so  is  it  now." 

Chap.  V.  II.  "  And  I,  brethren,  if  I  yet  preach  cir- 
<*  cumcision,  why  do  I  yet  suffer  persecution  ?  Then  is  the 
♦♦offence  of  tlie  cross  ceased." 

Chap.  yi.  17.  "  From  henceforth,  let  no  man  trouble 
•*  me,  for  I  bear  in  my  body  the  marks  of  the  Loid  Je- 

«  SMS.'* 

From  these  several  texts,  it  is  apparent  that  the  perse- 
cations  which  our  apostle  had  undergone,  were  from  the 
hands  or  by  the  instigation  of  the  Jews  I  tliat  it  was  not 
for  preaching  Christianity  in  opposition  to  heathenism,  but 
it  was  for  preaching  it  as  distinct  from  Judaism,  that  he 
had  brought  upon  himself  the  sufferings  which  had  attend- 
ed his  ministry.  And  this  representation  perfectly  coia^ 
cides  with  tliat  which  results  from  the  detail  of  St.  Paul's 
history,  as  delivered  in  the  Atts.  At  Antioch,  m  Pisidia^ 
the  **  word  of  the  Lord  was  published  throughout  all  the 
"  region  ;  but  the  Je'ws  stirred  up  the  devout  and  honor- 
*<  able  women  and  the  chief  men  of  the  city,  and  raised 
«♦  persecution  against  Paul  and  Barnabas,  and  expelled 
*'  them  out  of  their  coasts."  (Acts,  chap.  xiii.  50).  Not 
long  after,  at  Iconiura,  "  a  great  multitude  of  the  Jews 
**  and  al-90  of  the  Geeeks  believed ;  but  the  mhiieving  J^ews 
**  stirred  up  the  Gentiles,  and  made  their  minds  evil  affect- 
«  ed  against  the  brethren."  (Chap.  xiv.  1,2.)  <VAt 
"  Lystra  there  came  certain  Jews  from  Antioch  and  Ico- 
♦*  nium,  who  persuaded  the  people  ;  and  having  stoned 
**  Paul»  drew  him  out  of  the  city,  supposing  he  had  been 
♦*  dead."  (Chap.  xiv.  19.)  The  same  enmity,  and  from 
the  same  quarter,  our  apostle  experienced  in  Greece. 
«*  At  Thessalonica,  some  of  them  (the  Jews)  believed, 
<*  and  consoited  with  Paul  and  Silas  5  and  of  thv  devout 
I  z 


102  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATlAKS. 

««  a  great  multitude,  and  of  the  chief  women  not  a  few  f 
««  but  the  Jeivs  which  believed  notf  moved  with  envy,  took 
"  unto  them  certain  lewd  fellows  of  the  baser  sort,  and 
<•  gathered  a  company,  and  set  all  the  city  in  an  uproar, 
**  and  assaulted  the  house  of  Jason,  and  sought  to  bring 
**  them  out  to  the  people."     (Acts,  chap.  xvii.  4,   5.) 
Their  persecutors  follow  them  to  Berea ;  **  when  the  Jews 
««  of  Thessalonica  had  knowledge  that  the  word  of  God 
**  was  preached  of  St.  Paul  at  Berea,  they  came  thither 
<*  also   and  stirred  up  the  people."     (Chap.  xvii.  13.) 
And  lastly  at  Corinth,  when  Gallio  was  deputy  of  Achaia, 
**  the  Jews  made  insurrection  with  one  accord  against  Paul 
"  and  brought  him  to  the  judgment  seat."    I  think  it  does 
not  appear  that  our  apostle  was  ever  set  upon  by  the  Gen^ 
tiles,  unless  they  were  first  stirred  up  by  the  Jews,  except 
in  two  instances  ,   in  both  which  the  persons  who  began 
the  assault  were  immediately  interested  in  his  expulsion 
from  the  place.       Once  this  happened  at  Philippi,  after 
the  cure  of  the  Pythoness.     *'  When  the  masters  saw  the 
*«  hope  of  their  gains  was  gone,  they  caught  Paul  and  Silas, 
**  and  drew  them  into  the  market  place  unto  the  rulers." 
^Chap.  xvi.  19.)     And  a  second  time  at  Ephesus,  at  the 
instance  of  Demetrius  a   silversmith  which  made  silver 
shrines  for  Diana,  "  who  called  together  workmen  of  like 
*•  occupation,  and  said.  Sirs,  ye  know  that  by  this  craft 
**  we  have  our  wealth ;  moreover,  ye  see  and  hear  that  not 
**  only  at  Ephesus,  but  almost  throughout  all  Asia,  this 
•*  Paul    hath   persuaded  ^ay    much    people,   saying, 
»'  that  they  be  ho   gods  which   are  made  with  hands ; 
**  so  that  not  only    this   our   craft   is  in  danger  to   be 
<•  set   at  nought,  but   also   that  the  temple  of  the  great 
••  goddess  Diana  should  be  despised,  and  her  magnificence 
<•  should  be  destroyed,  whom  all  Asia  and  the  world  wer- 
**  shippeth." 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATIANS.  loj 

No,  VL 

I  observe  an  agreement  in  a  scmiewhat  peculiar  rule  of 
Christian  conduct,  as  laid  down  in  this  epistle,  and  as  ex- 
emplified in  the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians.  It  is 
not  the  repetition  of  the  same  general  precept,  which  would 
have  been  m  coincidence  of  little  value  j  but  it  is  the  gen- 
eral precept  in  one  place,  and  the  application  of  that  pre- 
cept to  an  actual  occurrence  in  the  other.  In  the  sixth 
chapter  and  first  verse  of  this  epistle,  our  apostle  gives  the 
following  direction.  "  Brethren,  if  a  man  be  overtaken 
«*  in  a  fault,  ye,  which  are  spiritual  restore  such  a  one  in 
**  the  spirit  of  meekness.'*  In  2  Cor.  chap.  ii.  6 — 8,  he 
writes  thus.  "  Sufficient  to  such  a  man"  (the  incestuous 
person  mentioned  in  the  First  Epistle)  <*  is  this  punish- 
*•  ment,  which  was  inflicted  of  many  j  so  that,  contrariwise, 
"  ye  ought  rather  to  forgive  him  and  comfort  him,  lest 
**  perhaps  such  a  once  should  be  swallowed  up  with  over 
**  much  sorrow ;  wherefore  I  beseech  you  that  ye  would 
**  confirm  your  love  towards  him."  I  have  little  doubt 
but  that  it  was  the  same  mind  which  dictated  these  two 
passages.  ; 

No,  VI L 

Our  epistle  goes  farther  than  any  of  St.  Paul's  epistles ; 
for  it  avows  in  direct  terms  the  suppression  of  the  Jewish 
law,  as  an  instrument  of  salvation,  even  to  the  Jews  them- 
selves. Not  only  were  the  Gentiles  exempt  from  its  au- 
thority,  but  even  the  Jews  were  no  longer  cither  to  place 
any  dependency  upon  it,  or  consider  themselves  as  subject 
to  it  on  a  religious  account.  *<  Before  faith  came,  we  were 
"  kept  under  the  law,  shut  up  unto  the  faith  which  should 
**  afterwards  be  revealed ;  wherefore  the  law  was  our 
«*  schoolmaster  to  bring  us  unto  Christ,  that  we  might 
<*  be  justified  by  faith ;  but,  after  that  faith  is  come,  nve  are 
**  no  longer  under  a  schoolmaster ^'^     (Chap.  iii.  23 — 25. J  - 


104  ^^^  EUSTtl!  TO  TWE  OALATiAif3%' 

This  was  undoubtedly  spoken  of  Jews  and  to  Jews.  In 
like  manner,  chap.  iv.  i — 5.  "  Now  I  say  that  the  heir, 
«*  as  long  as  he  is  a  child,  diflfer^th  notliing  from  a  $er- 
**  vant,  though  he  be  lord  of  all  i  but  is  under  tutors  and 
^  governors  until  the  time  appointed  of  the  father  ; 
**  even  so  we,  when  we  were  children,  were  in  bondage 
•*  tmder  the  elements  of  the  world ,  but,  when  the  fulness 
«  of  time  was  come,  God  sent  forth  his  Son,  made  of  a 
••  women,  made  under  the  law,  to  redeem  them  that  were  ua* 
**  der  the  laio,  that  "we  might  receive  the  adoption  of  sons.'* 
These  passages  are  nothing  short  of  a  declaration,  that  the 
obligation  of  the  Jewish  law,  consickred  as  a  religious  dis- 
pensation, the  effects  of  which  were  to  take  place  in  anoth- 
er life,  had  ceased,  with  respect  even  to  the  Jews  themselves*  - 
What  then  should  be  the  conduct  of  a  Jew  (for  such  St. 
Paul  was)  who  preached  this  doctrine?  To  be  consistent 
with  himself,  either  he  would  no^  longer  comply,  in  his 
own  person,  with  the  directions  of  the  law ;  or,  if  he  did 
comply,  it  would  be  ibr  some  other  reascwi  than,  any  confi- 
dence which  he  placed  in  its  efficacy,  as  a  religious  institu-- 
tion.  Now  so  it  happens,  that  whenever  St.  Paul's  com- 
pliance with  the  Jewish  law  is  mentioned  in  the  history,  it 
is  mentioned  in  connection  witli  circumstances  which  point 
out  the  motive  from  whicli  it  proceeded  j  and  this  motive 
appears  to  have  been  always  exoteric,  namely,  a  love  of 
order  and  tranquility,  or  an  unwillingness  to  give  unne- 
cessary offence.  Thus,  Acts,  chap.  xvi.  3.  *'  Him  (Tim- 
<«  othy)  would  Paul  have  to  go  forth  witli  him,  and  took 
**  and  circumcised  him,  hecauie  of  the  Je'uxs  ivh'ich  tuere  in 
^*  thosF  quarters, '\  Again,  Acts,  chap.  xxi.  26,  "when 
Paul  consented  to  exhibit  an  example  of  public  compli- 
ance with  a  Jewish  rite,  by  purifying  himself  in  the  ttm- 
f^f  it  is  plainly  intimated  tliathe  did  this  to  satisfy  ma- 
ny thousands  of  Jews  who  believed,  and  who  were  all 
•zealous  of  tlie  law.**  So  far  the  instances  related  in 
one  book,  correspond  wiUi  tlie  doctrine  delivered  in  anoth- 
ei\ 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATIANS.  10^ 

No.  Fill. 

Chap.  i.  1 8.  <*  Then,  after  three  years,  I  went  up  to 
**  Jerusalem  to  see  Peter,  and  abode  with  him  fifteen 
•<  days/^ 

The  shortness  of  St.  PauPs  stay  at  Jerusalem,  is  what  I 
desire  the  reader  to  remark.  The  direct  account  of  the 
same  journey  in  the  Acts,  chap.  ix.  28,  determines  ncStb- 
ing  concerning  the  time  of  his  continuance  there.  **  And 
••  he  was  with  them  (the  apostles)  coming  m,  and  going 
**  out,  at  Jerusalem  ;  and  he  spake  boldly  in  the  name  of 
"  the  Xord  Jesus,  and  disputed  against  the  Grecians  ;  but 
•*  they  went  about  to  slay  him ;  which  when  the  brethren 
•*  knew,  they  brought  him  down  to  Caesarea."  Or  rath- 
€t  this  account,  taken  by  itself,  would  lead  a  reader  to  sup- 
pose that  St.  Paul's  abode  at  Jerusalem  had  been  no  long- 
er than  fifteen  days.  But  turn  to  the  twenty  second  chapi. 
tcr  of  the  Acts,  and  you  will  find  a  reference  to  this  visit 
to  J>;rusalem,  which  plainly  indicates  that  Paul's  continu- 
ance in  that  city  had  been  of  short  duration.  **  And  it 
«*  came  to  pass,  that  when  I  was  come  again  to  Jerusalem 
«*  even  while  I  prayed  in  the  temple,  I  was  in  a  trance, 
"  and  saw  him  saying  unto  mc,  Make  haste,  get  thee 
"  quickly  out  of  Jerusalem,  for  they  will  not  receive 
*'  thy  testimony  concerning  me."  Here  we  have  the 
general  terms  of  one  text  so  explained  by  a  distant  text 
in  the  same  book,  as  to  bring  an  indeterminate  expression 
into  a  close  conformity  with  a  specification  delivered  in 
another  book  ;  a  species  of  consistency  not,  I  think, 
usually  found  in  fabulous  relations. 

No.  IX. 

Chap,  vl.  II.   «<  Ye  see  how  Iarg?e  a  letter  I  have  writ- 
«  ten  unto  you  with  mine  own  hand." 
These  words  imply  that  he  did  not  always  wiite  with 


•l^  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATIAKS. 

his  own  hand ;  which  is  consonant  to  what  we  find  inttmat- 
ed  in  some  other  of  the  epistles.  The  Epistle  to  the  Ro- 
mans was  written  by  Tertius.  '*  I,  Tertius,  who  wrote  this 
•*  epistle,  salute  you  in  the  Lord."  (Chap.  xvi.  zi,) 
The  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  the  Epistle  to  the  Co- 
lossians  and  the  Second  to  the  Thessalonians,  have  all,  near 
the  conclusion,  this  clause.  "  The  salutation  of  me,  Paul, 
**  with  mine  own  hand  ;"  which  must  be  understood,  and  is 
universally  understood  to  import,  that  the  rest  of  the  epis- 
tle was  written  by  another  hand.  I  do  not  think  it  im- 
probable that  an  impostor,  who  had  remarked  this  sub- 
scription in  some  other  ej>istle,  should  invent  the  same  in  a 
forgery  ;  but  that  is  not  done  here.  The  author  of  this  epis- 
tle does  not  imitate  the  manner  of  giving. St.  Paul's  signa- 
ture ;  he  only  bids  the  Galatians  observe  how  lai^e  a  letter 
he  had  written  to  them  with  his  own  hand.  He  docs  not  sSty 
this  was  diiferent  from  his  ordinary  usage  ;  that  is  left  to 
implication.  Now  to  suppose  that  this  was  an  artifice  to 
procure  credit  to  an  imposture,  is  to  suppose  that  the  au- 
thor of  the  forgery,  because  he  knew  that  others  of  St, 
Paul's  were  not  written  by  himself,  therefore  made  the 
apostle  say  that  this  was  5  ■  which  seems  an  odd  tura  to 
give  to  the  circumstance,  and  to  be  given  for  a  purpose 
which  would  more  naturally  and  more  directly  have  been 
answered,  by  subjoining  the  salutation  or  signature  in  the 
form  in  which  it  is  found  in  other  epistles.* 

*  The  words  'PrnXix.cig  y^etfiftxTiv  may  probably  be  meant  to  des- 
cribe the  character  in  v/hich  lie  wrote,  and  not  the  length  of  the  letter. 
But  this  will  not  alter  the  truth  of  our  observation.  I  think  howev* 
er,  that  as  St.  Paul  by  the  mention  of  his  own  hand  designed  to  ex- 
press to  the  Galatians  the  great  cjjncern  which  he  felt  for  them,  the 
words,  whatever  they  signify,  belong  to  the  whole  of  the  epistle  ;  and 
not,  as  Giotius,  after  St.  Jerom,  intwprets  it,  to  the  few  verses  whick 
fallow. 


.TH£  EFISTIS   TO  TWl  OAIATIARS.  I07L 

No.    X, 

Ancjcact  conformity  appears  In  the  maner  in  which  a  cer- 
tain apostle  or  eminent  Christian,  whose  name  was  Jamcs^ 
IS  spoken  of  in  the  Epistle  and  in  the  history.  Both  writings 
refer  to  a  situation  of  his  at  Jerusalem,  somewhat  different 
from  that  of  the  other  apostles ;  a  kind  of  eminence  or  pre- 
sixiencw  indie  charch  there,  or  at  least  a  more  fixed  and  sta- 
tionary residence.      Chap,  ii.  iz.     ^*  When  Peter  was  at 
"  Antioch,  before  that  certain  came  from  James,  he  did 
"  eat  with  the  Gentiles."      This  text  plainly  attributes  a 
kind  of  preeminency  to  James  ;   and,  as  we  hear  of  him 
twice  in  the  sanrie  epistle  dwelling  at  Jerusalem,  chap,  u 
1 9,  and  ii.  9,  we  must  apply  it  to  tbe  ^tuation  which  he 
held  m  that  church.       In  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  divers 
intimatioiw  occur,  conveying  the  same  idea  of  James's  sit- 
uation.   When  Peter  was  miraculously  delivered  from  pris- 
,  on,  and  had  surprised  his  friends  by  his  appearance  among 
-them,    after   declaring   unto   diem  how  the   I^ord  had 
^brought  him  out  of  priso^.     '''Go  shew,"  says  he, "  thes-e 
**  things  unto  James,  and  to  the  brethren."     (Acts,  chap. 
xii.  17.)     Here  James  is  minifestly  spoken  of  In  terms  of 
distinction.     He  appears  >again  with  like  distinction  in  the 
twenty  first  <rhapter  and  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth 
verses.      *'  And  when  we  .(Paul  and  his  company.)  were 
"  ccme  to  Jerusalem,   the  day  fcllowing,  Paul  went  in 
**  with  us  unto  James,  and  all  the  elders  -were  present." 
In  the  debate  which  took  place  upon  the  business  of  the 
Gentile  converts,  in  the, council  at  Jerusalem,  this  same 
person  seems  to  have  taken  the  lead.     It  was  he  who  clos- 
ed the  debate,   and  proposed  the  resolution  in  which  the 
council  ultimately  concurred  ;    **  Wherefore  my  sentence 
•*  is,  that  we  trouble  not  them  which  from  among  the 
<*  Gentiles  are  turned  to  God." 

Upon  the  whole,  that  there  exists  a  conformity  in  the 
compressions  used  concernmg  jfamenj  throughout  the  histo- 


J08  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATIANS. 

ry,  and  in  the  epistle,  is  unquestionable.  But  admitting 
this  conformity,  and  admitting  also  the  undesignedness  of 
it,  what  does  it  prove  ?  It  proves  that  the  circumstance  it- 
self is  founded  in  truth;  that  is,  that  James  was  a 
real  person,  who  held  a  situation  of  eminence  in  a  real  so- 
ciety of  Christians  at  Jerusalem.  It  confirms  also  those 
parts  of  the  narrative  which  are  connected  with  this  cir- 
cumstance. Suppose,  for  instance,  the  truth  of  the  ac- 
count of  Peter's  escape  from  prison  was  to  be  tried  upon 
the  testimony  of  a  witness  who,  among  other  things, 
made  Peter,  after  his  deliverance,  say,  "  Go  show  these 
«  things  to  James  and  to  the  brethren  ;"  would  it  not  be 
mateiial,  in  such  a  trial,  to  make  out  by  other  indepen- 
dent proofs,or  by  a  comparison  of  proofs,  drawn  from  inde- 
pendent sources,  that  there  was  actually  at  that  time,  liv- 
ing at  Jerusalem,  such  a  person  as  James  ;  tliat  this  person 
held  such  a  situation  in  the  society  amongst  whom  these 
things  were  transacted,  as  to  render  the  words  which  Pe- 
ter is  said  to  have  used  concerning  him,  proper  and  natUr 
ral  for  him  to  have  used  ?  If  this  would  be  impertinent  in 
the  discusssbn  of  oral  testimony,  it  is  still  more  so  in  appre- 
ciating the  credit  of  remote  history. 

It  must  not  be  dissembled,  that  the  comparison  of  our 
epistle  with  the  history  presents  some  difficulties,  or,  to 
say  the  least,  some  questions,  of  considerable  magnitude. 
It  may  be  doubted,  in  the  first  place,  to  what  journey  the 
words  which  open  the  second  chapter  of  the  epistle, "  then 
<»  fourteen  years  afterwards,  I  went  unto  Jerusalem,"  re- 
late. That  which  best  corresponds  with  the  date,  and  that 
to  which  most  interpreters  apply  the  passage,  is  the  jour- 
ney of  Paul  and  Barnabas  to  Jerusalem,  when  they  went 
thither  from  Antioch,  upon  the  business  of  the  Gentile 
converts ;  and  which  journey  produced  the  famous  coun- 
cil and  decree  recorded  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  Acts* 
To  me  this  opinion  appears  to  be  encumbered  with  strong 
©bjections.  In  the  epistle  Paul  tells  us  that  "  he  went  up 
"  by  revelation..**     (Chap.  ii.  2.)     In  the  Acts,  we  read 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATIASS.  X0« 

that  he  was  sent  by  the  church  of  Antioch.      "After  no 
**  small  dissension  and  disputation,  they  determined  that 
<*  Paul  and  Barnabas,  and  certain  other  of  them,  should 
**  go  up  to  the  apostles  and   elders  about  this  question.'* 
(Acts,  chap.  XV.  2.)     This  is  not  very  reconcileable.     In 
the  epistle  St.  Paul  writes  that,  when  he  came  to  Jerusa- 
lem, **  he  communicated  that  Gospel  which  he  preached 
«  among  the  Gentiles,  but  privately  to  them  which  were 
«  of  reputation."     (Chap.  ii.  2. )     If  by  «  that  Gospel" 
he  meant  the  immunity  of  the  Gentile  Christians  from  the 
Jewish  law  (and  I  know  not  what  else  it  can  mean).  It  is 
not  easy   to  conceive  how  he  should  communicate  that 
privately,  which  was  the  subject  of  his  public  message. 
But  a  yet  greater  difficulty  remains,viz.that  in  the  account 
which  the  epistle  gives  of  what  passed  upon  this  visit  at 
Jerusalem,  no  notice  is  taken  of  the  deliberation  and  de- 
cree  which  are  recorded  in  the  Acts,  and  wlilch,  accord- 
mg  to  that  history,  formed  the  business,  for  the  sake  of 
which  the  journey  was  undertaken.      The  mention   of 
the  council  and  of  its  determination,  whilst  the  apostle  was 
rtlatmg  his  proceedings  at  Jerusalem,  could  hardly  have 
been  avoided,  if  in  truth  the  narrative  belong  to  the  same 
journey.      To  me   it  appears  more  probable  that  Paul 
and  Barnabas  had  taken  some  journey  to  Jerusalem,  the 
mention  of  which  Is  omitted  in  the  Acts.      Prior  to  the 
apostolic  decree,  we  read  that  -  Paul  and  Barnabas  abode 
at  Antioch  a  long  time  with  the  disciples,'^      (Acts 
chap.  xiv.  28.)     Is  it  unlikely  tliat,  during  this'  long  abode' 
they  might  go  up   to   Jerusalem  and  return  to  Antioch  ^ 
Or  would  the  omission  of  such  a  journey  be  unsuitable  ta 
the  general  brevity  with  which  these  memoirs  are  written 
especially  of  those  parts  of  St.  PauPs  history  which  took 
place  before  the  historian  joined  his  society  ? 

But,  again,  the  first  account  we  find  in  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  of  St.  PauPs  visiting  Galatia,  is  in  the  sixteenth 
chapter,  and  the  sixth  verse.  '"Now  when  they  had  gone 
r  through  Phrygia  and  the  region  of  Galatia,  they  assay. 


no  THE   EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALA^1A»S* 

*'  ed  to  go  Into  Bithynia."  The  progress  here  recorded 
was  subsequent  to  the  apostolic  decree  ;  therefore  that  de- 
cree must  have  been  extant  when  our  epistle  was  written. 
Now,  as  the  professed  design  of  the  epistle  was  to  estab- 
lish the  exemption  of  the  Gentile  converts  from  the  law 
of  Moses,  and  as  the  decree  pronounced  and  confirmed 
that  exemption,  it  may  seem  extraordinary  that  no  notice 
whatever  is  taken  of  that  determination,  nor  any  appeal 
made  to  its  authority.  Much  however  of  the  weight  of 
this  objection,  wliich  applies  also  to  som.e  other  of  St.PauPj 
epistles,  Is  removed  by  the  following  reflections. 

1.  It  was  not  St.  Pau?s  manner,  nor  agieeable  to  it,  to 
resort  or  defer  much  to  the  authority  of  the  other  apotsles, 
especially  whilst  he  was  insisting,  as  he  does  strenuously 
throughout  this  epistle  insist,  upon  his  own  original  inspi- 
ration. He  who  could  speak  of  the  very  chiefest  of  the 
apostles  in  such  terms  as  the  following,  "  of  those  who 
*'  seemed  to  be  somewhat  (whatsoever  they  were  it  ma- 
'*  keth  no  matter  to  me,  God  accepteth  no  man's  person), 
«  for  they  who  seemed  to  be  somewhat  in  conference  ad- 
<«  ded  nothing  to  me,"  he,  I  say,  was  not  likely  to  support 
himself  by  their  decision. 

2.  The  epistle  argues  the  point  upon  principle  ;  and  it 
is  not  perhaps  more  to  be  wondered  at,  that  in  such  an 
argument  St.  Paul  sliould  not  cite  the  apostolic  decree, 
than  it  would  be  that,  in  a  discouise  designed  to  prove  the 
jnoraland  religious  duty  of  observing  the  sabbath,the  writer 
should  not  quote  the  thirteenth  canon. 

3.  The  decree  did  not  go  tlie  length  of  tlie  position 
maintained  in  the  epistle  ;  the  decree  only  declares  that 
the  apostles  and  elders  at  Jerusalem  did  not  impose  the  ob- 
servance of  the  Mosaic  law  upon  the  Gentile  con- 
verts, as  a  condition  of  tlieir  being  admitted  into  the  Chris- 
tian church.  Our  epistle  argues  that  the  Mosaic  institu- 
tion itself  was  at  an  end,  as  to  all  effects  upon  a  future 
9tate,  €veji  with  respect  to  the  Jews  themselves. 


TiiE   EPISTLE  TO  THE   OALATlANS.  l^t 

4.  They,  whose  error  St.  Paul  combated,  were  not  per- 
sons who  submitted  to  the  Jewish  law,  because  it  was  im- 
posed by  the  authority,  or  because  it  was  made  part  of 
the  law  of  the  Christian  church  ;    but  they  were  peisons 
who,  having  already  become  Giristiins,  afterwards  volun- 
tarily took  upon  themselves  the  observance  of  the  Mosaic 
code,  under  a  notion  of  attaining  thereby  to  a  greater  per- 
fection.   This,  I  think,  is  precisely  the  opinion  which  St. 
Paul  opposes  in  this  epistle.     Many  of  his  expressions  ap- 
ply exactly  to  it.      «  Are  ye  so   foolish  >  having  begun 
**  in  the  spirit,  are  ye   now  made   perfect  in  the  flesh*?" 
(Chap.  iii.  3.)     *'  Tell  me,  ye  that  desire  to  be  under  the 
<*  law,  do  ye  not  hear  tlie  law  V*  (Chap.  iv.  2 1 .)     *'  How 
**  turn  ye  again  to  the  weak  and  beggarly  elements,  where.* 
*'  unto  ye  desire  again  to  be  in  bondage  ?'*  (Chap.  iv.  9.) 
It  cannot  be  thought  extraordinary  that  St.  Paul  should 
resist  this  opinion  with  earnestness ;    for  it  both  changed 
the- character  of  the  Christian  dispensation,  and  derogated 
expressly  from  the  completeness  of  that  redemption  which. 
Jesus  Christ  had  wrought  for  them  that  believed  in  him. 
But  It  was  to  no  purpose  to  alledge  to  such  persons  the 
decision  at  Jerusalem,  for  that  only  showed  that  they 
were  not  bound  to  these  observances  by  any  law  of  the 
Christian  church  ;    they  did  not  pretend  to  be  so  bound. 
Nevertheless  they  imagined  that  there  was  an  efficacy  in 
these      observances,   a   merit,  a   recommendation  to  fa- 
for,  and  a  ground  of  acceptance  with  God  for  those  who 
complied  with  them.     This  was  a  situation  of  thought  to 
which  the  tenor  of  the  decree  did  not  apply.     According- 
ly St.  PauPs  address  to  the  Galatians,  which  Is  through- 
out adapted  to  this  situation,  runs  in  a  strain  widely  differ- 
ent from  the  language  of  the  decree.     *'  Christ  is  become 
"  of  no  effect  unto  you,  whosoever  of  you  are  justified 
by  the  law;"    (chap.  v.  4.)  i.  e.  whosoever  places  his 
dependence  upon  any  merit  he  may  apprehend  there  to 
be  in  legal  observances.     The  decree  had  said  nothing  like 
this  ;  therefore  it  would  have  been  useless  to  have  produc- 


<.  *< 


112  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATIANS. 

ed  the  decree  In  an  argument  of  which  tills  was  tiie  bar^. 
then.  In  like  manner  as  in  contending  with  an  ancho- 
rite, who  should  insist  upon  the  superior  holiness  of  a  recluse, 
ascetic  life,  and  the  value  of  such  mortifications  in-^the 
sight  of  God,  it  would  be  to  no  purpose  to  prove  that  the 
laws  of  the  church  did  not  require  these  vows,  or  even  to 
prove  that  the  laws  of  the  church  expressly  left  every 
Christian  to  his  liberty.  This  would  avail  little  towards 
abatnig  his  estimation  of  their  merit,  or  towards  settling- 
the  point  in  controversy.* 

^^T-        i>t.  Paul,     he  says,  «  did   not  remind   the    Galatians  of   the 
apostohc  decree,  because  they  already  had  it."     la  the  first  place,  it 
does  not  appear  with  certainty  that  they  had  it ;   in  the  second  place. 
iriey  had  it,  this  was  rather  a  reason,  than  otherwise,  for  referring 
them  to  It.     The  passage  in  the  Acts,  from  which  Mr.  Locke  con- 
cludes that  the  Galatic  churches  were  in  possession  of  the  decree,  i» 
«je  fourth  verse  of  the  sixteenth  chapter.    «  And  as  they"  (Paul  and 
iimothy)  «  went  through  the  cities,  they  delivered  them  the  decree. 
«  for  to  keep,  that  were  ordained  of  the  apostles  and  elders  whici* 
were  at  Jerusalem."     In  my  opinion,  this  delivery  of  the  decree  was 
confined  to  the  churches  to  which  St.  Paul  came,  in  pursuance  of  the 
plan  upon  which  he  set  out,  «  of  visiting  the  brethren  in  every  city 
where  he  had  preached  the  word  of  the  Lord ;"    the  history  of 
which  progress,  and  of  all  that  pertamed  to  it,  is  closed  in  the  fifth 
verse,  when  the  history  informs  us  that,  «  so  were  the  churches  estab- 
"  Lshed  in  the  faith,  and  increased  in  number  daily."     Then  the  his- 
tory proceeds  upon  a  new  section  of  the  narrative,  by  telling  us,  that 
*•  when  they  had  gone  throughout  Phrygia  and  the  region  of  Galatia, 
"  they  assayed  to  go  into  Eithynia."     The  decree  itself  is  directed  to 
«  the  brethren  which  are  of  the  Gentiles  at  Antioch,  Syria,  and  Cili- 
"  cia  ;"  that  is,  to  churches  already  founded,  and  in  which  this  ques- 
tion had  been  stirred.     And  I  think  the  observation  of  the  noble  au- 
thor of  the  Miscellanea  Sacra  is  not  only  ingenious,  but  highly  prob- 
able, viz.  that  there  is,  in  this  ;olace,  a  dislocation  of  the  text,  and  that 
the  fourth  and  fifth  verses  of  the  sixteenth  chapter  ought  to  follow 
the  last  verse  of  the  fifteenth,  so  as  to  make  the  entire  passage  run  " 
thus.     «  And  they  went  through  Syria  and  Cihcia,"  (to  the    Chris- 
tians of  which  countries  the  decree  was  addressed),  «  confix ming  the 
"  churches  j  and  as  they  went  through  the  cities  they  delivered  them 


THE   EPISTLE    TO  THE    OALATIANS.  11^ 

Another  difficulty  arises  from  the  account  of  Peter's 
eonducf  towards  the  Gentile  converts  at  Antioch,  as 
given  in  the  epistle,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  second  chap- 
ter J  which  conduct,  it  is  said,  is  consistent  neither  with 
the  revelation  communicated  to  him,  upon  the  conversion 
of  Cornelius,  nor  vf'iih  the  part  he  took  in  the  debate  at 
Jerusalem.  But,  in  order  to  understand  either  die  diiii- 
culty  er  the  solution,  it  v^^ill  be  necessary  to  state  and  ex- 
plain the  passage  itself.  "  When  Peter  was  come  to  An- 
**  tioch,  I  withstood  him  to  the  face,  because  he  v/as  to 
*•  be  blamed  ;  for,  before  that  certain  came  from  James, 
**  he  did  eat  with  the  Gentiles  ;  but  when  they  were  come, 
*'  he  with(^rew  and  separated  himself,  fearing  them  which 
^*  were  of  the  circumcision  ;  and  the  other  Jews  dissembled 
•*  likev/ise  widi  him,  insomuch  that  Barnabas  also  was  car- 
<*  ried  away  with  their  dissimulation  ;  but  when  I  saw 
*'  they  walked  not  uprightly,  according  to  the  truth  of  the 
*'  Gospel,  I  said  unto  Peter,  before  them  all,  If  thou,  be- 
**  ing  a  Jew,  livest  after  the  m.anner  of  Ge.itiles,  and  not 
<*  as  do  the  Jev/s,  why  compellest  thou  the  Gentiles  to  live 

"  the  decrees  for  to  keep,  that  were  ordained  of  the  apostles  and  el- 
«'  ders  which  were  at  Jerusalem  ;  and  so  were  the  churclies  established 
«  in  the  faith,  and  increased  in  number  daily."  And  then  the  sixteenth 
chapter  takes  up  a  new  and  unbroken  paragraph.  "  Then  came  he  to 
"  Derbe  and  Lystra,  &c."  When  St.  Paul  came,  as  lie  did  into  Gala- 
tia,  to  preach  the  gospel,  for  the  first  time,  in  a  new  place,  it  is  not 
probable  that  he  would  make  mention  of  the  decree,  or  rather  letter, 
of  the  church  of  Jerusalem,  which  presupposed  Christianity  to  be 
known,  and  which  related  to  certain  doubts  that  had  arisen  in  some 
established  Christian  communities. 

The  second  reason  which  Mr.  Locke  assigns  for  the  omission  of 
the  decree,  viz.  "  that  St.  Paul's  sole  object  ii'  the  epistle  was  to  ac- 
"  quit  himself  of  the  imputation  that  had  been  charged  upon  him  of 
"  actually  preaching  circumcision,"  does  not  appear  to  me  to  be  strict- 
ly true.  It  v/as  not  the  sole  object.  The  epistle  is  written  in  gene- 
ral opposition  to  the  Judaizing  inclincitions  which  he  found  to  prevail 
amongst  his  converts.  The  avowal  of  his  own  doctrine,  and  of  hfi  ■ 
steadfast  adherence  to  that  doctrine,  formed  a  necessary  part  of  the  d£- 
sigo  of  ids  IfcUcr,  fcut  was  net  the  whole  of  it, 
K  2 


114  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATJANS. 

*'  as  do  the  Jews  >'*  Now  the  question  that  produced  the 
dispute,  to  which  these  words  relate,  was  notwliether  tlic 
Gentiles  were  capable  of  being  admitted  into  the  Christian 
covenant ;  that  had  been  fully  settled  ;  nor  was  it  wheth- 
er it  should  be  accounted  essential  to  the  profession  of 
Christianity  that  they  should  conform  themselves  to  the 
law  of  Moses ;  that  was  the  question  at  Jerusalem  ;  but 
it  was,  whether,  upon  the  Gentiles  becoming  Christians, 
the  Jews  might  thenceforth  eat  and  drink  with  them,  as 
with  their  own  brethren.  Upon  this  point  St.  Peter  be- 
trayed some  inconstancy ;  and  so  he  might,  agreeably 
enough  to  his  history.  He  might  consider  the  vision  at 
Joppa  as  a  direction  for  tlie  occasion,  rather  than  as  uni- 
versally abolishing  the  distinction  between  Jew  and 
Gentile  ;  I  do  not  mean  with  respect  to  final  acceptance 
with  God,  but  as  to  the  manner  of  their  living  together  in 
society ;  at  least  he  might  not  have  comprehended  this 
point  with  such  clearness  and  certainty,  as  to  stand  out 
upon  it  against  the  fear  of  bringing  upon  himself  the  cen- 
sure and  complaint  of  his  bretliren  in  the  church  of  Jeru- 
salem, who  still  adhered  to  their  ancient  prejudices.  But 
Peter,  it  is  said,  compelled  the  Gentiles  la^xt^nv — "  why 
*'  compellest  thou  the  Gentiles  to  live  as  do  the  Jews  V* 
How  did  he  do  that  I  The  only  way,  in  which  Peter  ap- 
pears to  have  compelled  the  Gentiles  to  comply  with  the 
Jewish  institution,  was  by  withdrawing  himself  from 
their  society.  By  which  he  may  be  understood  to  have 
made  this  declaration.  "  We  do  not  deny  your  right  to 
be  considered  as  Christians  ;  we  do  not  deny  your  title  in 
the  promise  of  the  Gospel,  even  without  comphance  with 
our  law  ;  but  if  you  would  have  us  Jews  live  with  you, 
as  we  do  with  one  another,  that  is,  if  you  would  in  all 
respects  be  treated  by  us  as  Jews,  you  must  live  as  such 
yourselves."  This,  I  think,  was  the  compulsion  which 
St.  Peter*s  conduct  imposed  upon  the  Gentiles,  and  for 
which  St.  Paul  reproved  him. 

As  to  the  part  which  the  historian  ascribes  to  St.  Petcr^ 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATIANS,  11^ 

in  the  debate  at  Jerusalem,  beside  that  it  was  a  different 
question  which  was  there  agitated  from  that  which  produc- 
ed tlic  dispute  at  Antioch,  there  is  nothing  to  hinder  us 
from  supposing  that  the  dispute  at  Antioch,  was  prior  to 
the  consultation  at  Jerusalem ;  or  that  Peter,  in  conse- 
quence of  this  rebuke,  might  have  afterwards  maintained 
firmer  sentiment?. 


CHAP.  VI. 

THE  EPiSTJLE   TO  THE  EPHgSIANS. 
No.   L 

-i.  HIS  epistle,  and  the  Epistle  to  the  Colosslans, 
appear  to  have  been  transmitted  to  their  respective  church- 
es by  the  same  messenger.  **  But  that  ye  also  may  know 
**  my  affairs,  and  how  I  do,  Tychicus,  a  beloved  brother 
**  and  faithful  minister  in  the  Lord,  shall  make  known  to 
**  you  all  things  ;  whom  I  have  sent  unto  you  for  the  same 
•*  purpose,  that  ye  might  know  our  affairs,  and  that  he 
*'  might  comfort  your  hearts.'^  Ephes.  chap.  vi.  21,  22.- 
This  text,  if  it  do  not  expressly  declare,  clearly  I  think  In- 
timates, that  the  letter  was  sent  by  Tychicus.  T^he  words 
made  use  of  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians  are  very  sim- 
ilar to  these,  and  afford  the  same  implication  that  Tychi- 
cus, in  conjunction  with  Onesimus,  was  the  bearer  of  the 
letter  to  that  church.  "All  my  state  shall  Tychicus  declare 
**  unto  you,  who  is  a  beloved  brother,  and  a  faithful  min- 
**  ister,  and  fellow  servant  in  the  Lord,  whom  I  have  sent 
"  unto  you  for  the  same  purpose,  that  he  might  know 
"  your  estate,  and  comfort  your  hearts  ;  with  Onesimus, 
**  a  faithful  and  beloved  brother,  who  is  one  of  you  j  they 
"  shall  make  known  unto  you  all  things  which  are  done 
**  here."  Colos.  chap.  iv.  7 — 9.  Both  Epistles  repre- 
sent the  writer  as  under  imprisonment  for  the  gospel ;  and 
both  treat  of  the  same  general  subject.  The  Epistle  there- 
fere  to  the  Ephcsians,  and  the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians, 
import  to  be  two  letters  written  by  the  same  person,  at  or 
nearly  at,  the  same  time,  and  upon  the  same  subject,  and 
to  have  been  sent  by  the  same  messenger.  Now,  every 
thing  in  the  sentiments,  order  and  diction  of  the  two  writ- 
ings corresponds  with  what  might  be  expected  from  this 
circumstance  cf  identity  or  cognation  ia  their  original. 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPH8S1AHS.  117 

The  leading  doctrine  of  both  Epistles,  is  the  union  of 
Jews  and  Gentiles  under  the  Christian  dispensation  ;  and 
that  doctrine  in  botli  is  established  by  the  sanve  argu- 
ments,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  illustrated  by  the 
same  similitudes*  "one  head,''  "one  body,"  "one 
«  new  man,"  «  one  temple,"  are  in  both  Epistles  the  fig- 
ures, under  which  the  society  of  believers  in  Chiiist,  and 
their  common  relati4)n  to  him  as  such,  is  represented.f 
The  ancient,  and  as  had  been  tiiought,  the  indelible  dis- 
tinction between  Jew  and  Gentile,  in  both  Epistles  is  de- 
clared to  be  •*  now  abolished  by  his  cross."  Beside  tliis 
consent  in  the  general  tenor  ot  the  two  Epistles,  and  ia 
the  run  also  and  warmth  of  thought,  with  which  they  are 
composed,  we  may  naturally  expect,  in  letters  produced 
under  the  circumstances,  in  which  these  appear  to  have 
been  written,  a  closer  resemblance  of  style  and  diction, 
than  between  other  letters  of  the  same  person,  but  of  dis- 
tant dates,  or  between  letters  adapted  to  different  occa- 
sions. In  particular  we  may  look  for  many  of  the  same 
expressions, and  sometimes  for  whole  sentences  being  alike; 
since  such  expressions  and  sentences  would  be  repeated  in 
the  second  letter  (whichever  that  was)  as  yet  fresh  in  the 

*  St.  Paul,  I  am  apt  to  believe,  has  been  sometimes  accused  of  in- 
conclusive reasoning,  by  our  mistaking  that  for  reasoning  which  was 
only  intended  for  illustration.  He  is  not  to  be  read  as  a  man,  whose 
own  persuasion  of  the  truth  of  what  he  taught  always  or  solely  de- 
pended upon  the  views  under  which  he  represents  it  in  his  writings. 
Taking  for  granted  the  certainty  of  his  doctrine,  as  resting  upon  the 
revelation  that  had  been  imparted  to  him,  he  exhibits  it  frequently  to 
the  conception  of  his  readers  under  images  and  allegories,  in  which  if 
an  analogy  may  be  perceived,  or  even  sometimes  a  poetic  resemblance 
be  found,  it  is  all  perhaps  that  is  required. 


CEphes.  i.   aa,-^  TColos.  i.    18. 

f  Compared  iv.  i5,Cwith  <  ii.   19, 

C  ii.  15,3  C  iii.  10, 

TEphes.  Ii.  14, 15,"^  TCoIos.  ii.  14, 

AliO<  ii.  16,       C  with  <  i.   18 

C  ii.  S3,       >  C  il  7- 


in.  10,  tl. 


llo 


rilR  THE    EPISTLE  TO  THE  ErRESIANS. 

/ 

author's  mind  from  the  writing  of  the  first.      This  repe*- 
tition  occurs  in  the  following  examples.* 

Ephes.  ch.  i.  7.  *'  In  whom  we  have  rederaptioa 
<*  through  his  blood,  tl:e  forgiveness  of  sins."f 

Colos.  ch.  i,  14.  *'  In  whom  we  have  rederaptioa 
through  his  blood,  the  forgiveness  of  sins.''^ 

Beside  the  sameness  of  the  words,  it  is  further  remarka- 
ble that  the  sentence  is,  in  both  places,  preceded  by  the 
same  introductory  idea*  In  the  Epistle  to  tlie  Ephesians 
it  is  the  "  beloved^*  (nyxTn^tcBva)  ;  in  that  to  the  Colossians 
It  is  "  his  dear  Son,**  (v«  rn^  uyccTr,",?  etvTUy)  "  in  whom  we 
"  have  redemption."  The  sentence  appears  to  have  been 
suggested  to  the  mind  of  the  writer  by  the  idea  which  had 
accompanied  it  before. 

Ephes.  ch.  i.  10.  **  All  things  both  which  are  inheav- 
**  en  and  which  are  in  earth,  even  in  him. "J 

Colos.  ch.  i.  20.  *'  All  things  by  him,  whether  they 
"  be  things  in  earth,  or  things  in  heaven. ''|| 

This  quotation  Is  the  more  obsei-vable,  because  the  con- 
necting of  things  In  earth  with  things  In  heaven  is  a  very; 
singular  sentiment,  and  found  no  where  else  but  in  these 
two  Epistles.  The  words  also  are  introduced  and  follow- 
ed by  a  train  of  thought  nearly  alike.  They  are  Introdu- 
ced by  describing  the  union,  which  Christ  had  effected, 
and  they  are  followed  by  telling  the  Gentile  churches  that 
they  were  incorporated  into  it. 

*  When  f^r^rt^  comparisons  are  relied  upon,  it  becomes  nesessary  to 
state  the  original ;  but  that  the  English  reader  may  be  interrupted  as 
little  as  may  be,  I  shall  in  general  do  this  in  the  note. 

-{'  Ephes.  ch.  i.  7,       Ev  ^  g^ojttsv  tj)?  oiTFoXvr^ao'iv  ^tst  rn 

%  Colos.  ch.  i.  14.  E»  »  iXOfXAit  Tjjv  etTo'Kvr^eiiriv  ^ta  ru 
tiifiuro^  avTiit  ry,v  u,(pi<riv  tm  k^a^Ttm.  However,  it  must  he  ob- 
served, that  in  this  latter  text  many  copies  have  not  "htct.  ra  titftxroi 
Mvra. 

§  Ephes.  ch.  i.  10.  To,  rs  e»  to<$  a^avoig  kxi  rx  iTCi  rm  y)}?, 
t*  xvra. 

il  Colos.  ch.  i.  20.     £it  xvTu,  an  r»  w*  rn?  y««>  «<«  "r*  i» 


TPf   EflSTLE  TO  THE    EPHESIANS.  I  If 

Eplies.  ch.  ill.  2.  "  The  dispensation  of  the  grace  of  God» 
**  which  is  given  me  to  you  ward."* 

Colos.  ch.  i.  25.  "  The  dispensation  of  God,  which 
<'  is  given  to  me  for  you."f 

Of  tliese  sentences  it  may  likewise  be  observed,  that 
the  accompanying  ideas  are  similar.  In  both  places  they 
are  immediately  preceded  by  the  mention  of  his  present 
sufferings ;  in  both  places  they  are  immediately  followed 
by  the  mention  of  the  mystery  which  was  the  great  sub- 
ject of  his  preaching. 

Ephes.  ch.  V.  19.  *'  In  psalm.s  and  hymns  and  spiri- 
"  tual  songs,  singing  and  making  melody  in  your  heart 
«  to  the  Lord/':{: 

Colos.  ch.  ill.  16.  "  In  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiri- 
"  tual  songs,  singing  with  grace  in  your  hearts  to  the 
«  Lord.»(J 

Ephes.  ch.  vi.  22.  *'  Whom  I  have  sent  unto  you  for 
**  the  same  purpose,  that  ye  might  know  our  affairs,  and 
*'  that  he  might  comfort  your  hearts." || 

Colos.  ch.  iv.  8.  "  Whom  I  have  sent  unto  you  for 
"  the  same  purpose,  that  he  might  know  your  estate,  and 
^*  comfort  your  hearts."^ 

In  these  examples,  we  do  not  perceive  a  cento  of  phra- 
ses gathered  from  one  composition,  and  strung  together 
in  the  other  ;  but  the  occasional  occurrence  of  the  same 

*  Ephes,  ch.  iii,  2.  Tnv  oixovofcixv  rv)$  ;^<«giT05  ra  ©«»  rijs 
f  Colos,  ch.  i.  25".  Tjjv  Gizovofztxv  TOW  ©iov,  rnv  ^o&ucxi 
%  Ephes  .ch,  v.  19.    -^a^uoig  xxi  v^.voig,  kui  ea^ccir,  Trnvfcan-- 

^  Colos.  Ctl.  lii  I  6.         •4'<M,\«o;j  KUi  vf^vQig  Koii  ca^xig  TTViVf^CCTl* 

jl Ephes.  ch.  vi.  22.  'Ov  «7rj,tt4'«  tt^o?  v^ccg  itq  avro  'rvn^ 
ltd  yyun  rx  TVi^i  -^^.iuj,  xai  Trcc^oiXfiXicrvi  rcc%  x.x^^toig  vfAU'9. 

^Colos.  ch.  IV.  8.        'Ov  z'^i-.c^x  TT^og  if/^ug  ug  ccvra  rcvTaj 


i20  THE  EPISTLE  TO    THE   EPHESIAN5. 

expression  to  a  mind  a  second  time  revolving  the  same  ideas* 
2.  Whoever  writes  two  letters,  or  two  discourses,  near- 
ly upon  the  same  subject,  and  at  no  great  distance  of  time, 
but  without  any  express  recollection  of  what  he  had  writ- 
ten before,  will  find  himself  repeating  some  sentences  in 
the  very  order  of  the  words,  in  which  he  had  already  used 
them  ;  but  he  will  more  frequently  find  himself  employ- 
ing some  principal  terms,  with  the  other  inadvertently 
changed,  or  with  the  other  disturbed  by  the  intermixture 
of  other  words  and  phrases  expressive  of  ideas  rising  up 
at  the  time  ;    or  in  many  instances  repeating  not  single 
words,  nor  yet  whole  sentences,  but  parts  and  fragments 
of  sentences.  Of  all  these  varieties  the  examination  of  our 
two  Epistles  will  furnish  plain  examples ;    and  I  should 
rely  upon  this  class  of  instances  more  than  upon  the  last ; 
because,  although  an  impostor  might  transcribe  into  a 
forgery  entire  sentences  and  phrases,  yet  the  dislocation  of 
words,  the  partial  recollection  of  phrases  and  sentences, 
the  intermixture  of  new  terms  and  new  ideas  with  terms 
and  ideas  before  used,  which  will  appear  in  the  examples 
that  follow,  and  which  are  the  natural  properties  of  writ- 
ings produced  under  the  circumstances  in  which  these 
Epistles  are  represented  to  have  been  composed,  would 
not,  I  think,  have  occurred  to  the  Invention  of  a  forger  j 
nor,  if  they  had  occurred,  woul^  they  have  been  so  easily 
cxeclited.     This  studied  variation  was  a  refinement  in  for- 
gery which  I  believe  did  not  exist  j  or,  if  we  can  suppose 
It  to  have  been  practised  in  the  instances  adduced  oelow, 
wh^,  it  may  be  asked,  was  not  the  same  art  exercised  up- 
on those  which  we  haVe  colkcted  in  the  preceding  class  ? 
Ephes.  ch.  i.  19.  ch.  ii.  5.'     "  Towards  us  who  believe 
•*  according  to  the  worklngof  his  mighty  power,  w^ich  he 
**  wrought  in   Christ,  when  he  raised  him  from  the  dead 
**  (and  set  him  at  his  own  right  hand,  'In  the  heavenly 
"  places,  far  above  all  principality,  and  power,  and  might, 
•*  and  dominion,  and  every  name  that  is  named,  not  only 
<'  in  this  world,  but  in  that  which  is  to  come.     And  hath 
•*  put  all  things  under  his  feet  j    and  gave  liim  to  be  tl>e 


THE   EPISTLE    TO  THE   EPHESIANS.  121 

**  head  over  all  things,  to  the  church,  which  is  his  body,  the 
"  fulness  of  all  things,  thatfilleth  all  in  all);  and  you  hath 
"  he  quickened,  who  were  dead  in  ti-espasses  and  sins, 
*'  (wherein  in  time  past  ye  walked  according  to  the  course 
•*  of  this  world,  according  to  the  prince  of  the  power  of 
**  the  air,  the  spirit  that  now  worketh  in  the  children  of 
<*  disobedience  ;  among  whom  also  we  had  all  our  con- 
**  versation,  in  times  past,  in  tlie  lusts  of  our  flesh  ful- 
'«  filling  the  desires  of  the  flesh  and  of  the  mind, 
*<  and  were  by  nature  the  children  of  wrath,  even  as 
"  others.  But  God,  who  is  rich  in  mercy,  for  his 
**  great  love  wherewith  he  loved  us),  even  when  we 
**  were  dead  in  sins,  hath  quickened  us  together  with 
•«  Christ."* 

Colos.  ch.  ii.  12,  13.  **  Through  the  faith  of  the  ope- 
**  ration  of  God,  who  hath  raised  him  from  the  dead, 
"  and  you  being  dead,  in  your  sins  and  the  uncircumcision 
<*  of  tlie  flesh,  hath  he  quickened  together  with  him."f 

Out  of  the  long  quotation  from  the  EphesiaTis,take  away 
the  parentheses,  and  you  have  left  a  sentence  almost  in 
terms  the  same  as  the  short  quotation  from  the  ColossianSp 
The  resemblance  is  more  visible  in  the  original  than  in 
our  translation  ;  for  what  is  rendered  in  one  place  *'  the 
<*  working,'*  and  in  another  the  "  operation,''  is  the  same 
Greek  term  ivspyux  j  in  one  place  it  is,  rovs  TrimuovTKi  x«t« 
T^y  ivi^yii*  5  in  the  other,  3<«  tik  -riFrt:^  mi  ivt^nxs*     Hcrc 

*  Ephes.  ch.  i.  19,  20;  ii.  i.  5.  Taw?  mr«yo>r«j  jmt« 
T?}»  ivi^')(U9V^  Toy  K^ccrov?  rm  t(r^vo;  ayray,  viv  tvn^y/ia-iv  «»  w 
Y^tiiOy   tyu^ct^  »uTO'i  vc  viK^m'  KXi  iKx9ia-iJ  iv  ^e'^ta  xut«v  W  t««5 

-f  Colos.  ch.  ji,  12,  13.  l^ict  Tijj  Tri^ico',  T»?  tn^yZMi  rau 
0i(jy  ro'j  iyu^zvTdg  ccvTov  in.  ro>t  viK^my.      Kxi  uuag  nK^avi  onobs 

L 


122  THE   lYlbTLS.  TO    THE   E/HElilANS. 

therefore  v.'e  have  the  same  sentiment,  and  nearly  in  the 
same  words  j  but,  in  the  Ephesians,  twice  broken  or  in- 
terrupted by  incidental  thoughts,  which  St.  Paul,  as  his 
manner  was,  enlarges  upon  by  the  way,*  and  tlien  returns 
to  the  thread  of  his  discourse.  It  is  interrupted  the  first 
time  by  a  view  which  breaks  m  upon  his  mind  of  the  ex- 
altation of  Christ ;  and  the  second  time  by  a  description 
of  heathen  depravity.  I  have  only  to  remark  that  Gries- 
bach,  in  his  very  accurate  edition,  gives  the  parentheses 
very  nearly  in  the  same  manner,  in  which  they  are  here 
placed  ;  and  that  without  any  respect  to  the  comparison, 
which  we  are  proposing. 

Ephes.  ch.  iv.  2 — 4.  **  With  all  lowliness  and  meek- 
*♦  ness,  with  longsuitering,  forbearing  one  another  in  love; 
•'  endeavouring  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  spirit,  in  the  bond 
**  of  peace,  there  is  one  body  and  one  spirit,  even  as  ye 
**  are  called  in  one  hope  of  your  calling."-}- 

Colos.  ch.  iii.  1 2 — 1 5.  **  Put  on  therefore,  as  the  elect 
*»  of  God,  holy  and  beloved,  bowels  of  mercies,  kindness, 
"  humbleness,  of  mind,  meekness,  longsufFering,  forbear- 
«'  ing  one  anothei  and  forgiving  one  another  ;  if  any  man 
**  have  a  quarrel  against  any,  even  as  Christ  forgave  you, 
*'  so  also  do  ye  ;  and,  above  all  these  things,  put  on  char- 
«  ity,  which  is  the  bond  of  perfectness  ;  and  let  the  peace 
••of  God  rule  in  your  hearts,  to  the  which  also  ye  are  ca4- 
«  led  in  one  body." J 

•    •  Vide  Locke,  in  loc. 

•^- Ephes.   ch.  iv.  2 — 4.       MiTX  ttug-^^  rcCTrUyoP^ea-vvyji  Kott 

Csit^cm^  rvjpiiv  T/tv  hcTmu  rov  Trvsvf^Arog  iv  ra  (rvvoic-f^st  rn?  U(n- 
»?;?.  '-Ev  <rciy.tc  KtCi  h  Trvivuce,  xx^wg  xxi  iK^hn  sv  w<ar-  6Air<^<  rt: 
xXi^(riag  l^cu^. 

:f:  Colos.   ch.  iii.    12-^—15.      hv^v^x<rh  cvv  aq  inXiKret  rov 
©loy  kyitl  Kcti  TiycCTTfi^'.vci,  (rx?.(fyx^»  cacrt^fiay,  y^ey^gorriru,  rctr 

X^pi^ofiivn  UvTdic,  ixv  ri?  T^Cf;  7ivx  ix*'' f^ofi^nv*  yyttug  Kcti  I'X^irec 


THE   EPISTLE  TO  THE    EPHESIAKS.  12^ 

In  these  two  quotations  the  words  rccruvo<p^oirvvyii  '7r^uoTyi(;p 
ustx^odvfctu,  tcnx.9^ivoi  «AA»)A(wv,  occur  in  exactly  the  same 
ordjr  ;  «;r>}  is  also  found  in  both,  but  in  a  diiFerent  con- 
nection ;  (Tuvhc-f^oi  rvii  n^Yiv/i^  answers  to  (rwha-izoi  t>j5  T6Ae<a- 
TjjTof  ;  iKXrj&yiri  iv  Ivi  TMfAscTt  to  Iv  ffwfisc  Kxdaii  ksci  iKMhri  %9 
fAict  IxTTih  i  yet  is  this  similitude  found  in  the  midst  of  sen- 
tences otherwise  very  different. 

Ephes.  ch.  iv.  1 6.  '*  From  whom  the  whole  body  fit- 
<*  ly  joined  together,  and  compacted  by  that  which  every 
"  joint  supplieth,  according  to  the  effectual  working  in 
'•  the  measure  of  every  part,  maketh  increase  of  the 
"  body."* 

Col.  ch.  ii.  19.  <'  From  which  all  the  body,  by  joints 
**  and  bands,  having  nourishment  ministered  and  knit  to- 
•♦  getlier,  increaseth  with  the  increase  of  God."f 

In  these  quotations  are  read  £|  ov  tx»  to  caux  a-vfA^i^x^o- 
ftivov  in  both  places,  tTri^o^yiyav^ivav  answering  to  e5r<;^«^))y<- 
x^  ;  hx  Ta»  cs.(p<uv  to  ^ix  7rxTyi<;  x<pvi^  i  xv^ei  t>jv  «y|jjo-<v  tO 
^o;i(Txf  T>)»  xv^nTiv  i  and  yet  the  sentences  are  considerably 
diversified  in  other  parts. 

Ephes.  ch.  iv.  32.  <*  And  be  kind  one  to  another,  ten- 
"  der  hearted,  forgiving  one  another,  even  as  God,  for 
"  Christ's  sake,  hath  forgiven  you."t 

t^x^iTXTo  vfAiVt  ovTU  x.xt  vftiiq  fTt  TTXTi  ^i  rovtci^  TJjy  XyXTfif, 
nri<i  i9t  <rvv}iTuog  rn?  riXiicrytrci'  xxi  n  u^nvn  rov  Qiov  (igxZivi* 
ru  m  rxti  Kx^iXis  hum,  ug  yiv  kxi  iKXnhrt  t»  in  (rafMttu 

*  Ephes.  ch.  iv.  16,  E|  ow  tfxv  r&  otuijuc  a-wx^^tXcycvuivif 
KXi  (rvfcQiCx^of^evov  ^ix  'rxrri^  x^m  Tnig  g7r<;^ogny<«j,  kxt  tvi^uxf 
ur  uir^a  tvc^  Ixxgov  fci^ovi  T))»  xv^iiriv  rev  crufMcro^  Troiurxs, 

•f*  Colos.  ch.  ii.  19.  E|  ov  'txh  to  (r»ftx  ^ix  ruv  a^uf  x«p 
(TuwiTusiiv  tTTt^o^yiyov^ivov  KXI  vv^^i^x^ounoV)  xv\ii  Tnv  xv^n^if 
rov  Qiov, 

X    Ephes.  ch.  iv.  32.      r;viTh  h  nc  aXXnXav?  AJC?*'*  ff^- 

9'7rXxy)(^V0t,  ^X^t^OUiVO^  IxVTOl^.t  Kx9ai  kxi  0   3ii§  tV  XeigM  i%X9i' 


IZ^  THE   £?ISTLE    to  THE  EPHESIANS. 

Colos.  ch.  iii.  13.  «  Forbearing  one  another  and  for- 
"  giving  one  another ;  if  any  man  have  a  quarrel  against 
1^  any,  even  as  Christ  forgave  you,  so  also  do  ye."* 
-.  Here  Vi'e  have  "  forgiving  one  another,  even  as  God, 
"  for  Christ's  sake  (ev  X^ittm),  hath  forgiven  you,"  in  the 
first  quotation,  substantially  repeated  in  the  second.  But 
in  the  second  the  sentence  is  broken  by  the  interposition 
of  a  new  clause,  "  if  any  man  have  a  quarrel  against 
**  any  ;"  and  the  latter  part  is  a  little  varied  ;  instead  of 
**  God  in' Christ,"  it  is  *'  Christ  hath  forgiven  you." 
.  Ephes.  ch.  iv.  22 — 24.  "  That  ye  put  off  concerning 
*'  the  former  conversation  the  old  man,  which  is  corrupt 
*'  according  to  the  deceitful  lust  and  be  renewed  in  the 
"  spirit  of  your  mind ;  and  that  ye  put  on  the  new  man, 
*«  v.'hich,  after  God,  is  created  in  righteousness  and  true 
**  holiness."f 

Coles,  ch.  iii.  9,  10.  *'  Seeing  that  ye  have  put  off 
^.**  the  old  man  with  his  deeds  and  have  put  on  the  neW 
<'  man,  which  is  renewed  in  knowledge,  after  the  image  of 
«  him  that  created  him."J 

In  these  quotations,  **  putting  off  the  old  man,  and  put- 
**  ting  on  the  new,"  appears  in  both.  The  idea  is  fur- 
ther explained  by  calling  it  a  renewal ;  in  the  one,  **  re- 
**  newed  in  the  spirit  of  your  mind  ;"  in  the  other  '*  rc- 
"  newed  in  knowledge."     In  both,  the  new  man  is  said  to 

*  Colos,  ch.  iii.  15.      Av6;^o/5«6ve<   dX'kfiXmy  xaii  ;K<«§'<fo/e<Sna* 

o-XTc' iffctVf  ovru  xkl  tf^uq, 

f  Ephes.  ch.  iv.  22— -24.  ATohtrGeci  vfix^  Ketret  rua  T^d- 
4e^xv  etvx<f^o(pviVt  T«y  irxXxtov  xyd^aTrav  tov  (pfiit^ofiivov  tuirx  rxq 
tmSvfiixg  TTii  XTTxrm'^  xvxhovt^xi  ^g  ra  vHvfixrt  t»  veo^  vf^atf 
KXi  iv^vTXT&xi  ro¥  Kxtvav  uv6^u7C6Vi  rev  KXTX  ©gov  Krichvrx  iv  ?<- 
xxtoa-vvyi  kxi  oa-ioT^ri  rr,<;  xXtt^ux^. 

\|l  Colos  ch.  iii.  9,  16.  AxeK^va-xf^ivat  taI'  TrxXxiov  xvt^a- 
vrov  a-vv  rxt?  7r^x%iTtv  xvreu"  kxi  iwvrxfMvct  tov  vgov,  rev  xpxicxivov- 
f^evo¥  6<5  iTTiYvartv  kxt  i(K»vec  rev  *crtrxvroi  «t/Tov. 


THE  EPISTLE    TO  THE   EPHEilANS.  It^ 

be  formed  according  to  the  same  model ;  m  the  one  he  is, 
"  after  God  created  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness  ;** 
in  the  other,  "  he  is  renewed  after  the  image  of  him  that 
**  created  him."  In  a  word,  it  is  the  same  person  writing 
upon  a  kindred  subject,  with  the  terms  and  ideas  whicix 
he  had  before  employed  still  floating  in  his  memory."* 

Ephes.  chap.  v.  6-— 8.  "  Because  of  these  things  cometh 
**  the  ivrath  of  God  upon  the  children  of  disobedience  ;  be  not 
"  ye  therefore  partakers  with  them  ;  for  ye  were  some- 
«'  times  darkness,  but  now  are  ye  light  in  the  Lord ;  walk 
therefore  as  children  of  light. "f 

■■-  Colos  ch.  iii.  6 — 8.  "  For  lahich- things  sake  the  nvrath 
'*  of  God  cometh  on  the  children  of  disobedience  ;  in  which  ye 
"  also  walked  some  lime,  when  ye  lived  in  them ;  but  now 
**  you  also  put  off  all  these."  J 

These  verses  ajBTord  a  specimen  of  that  partial  resem- 
blance which  is  only  to  be  met  with  when  no  imitation  is 
designed,  when  no  studied  recollection  is  employed,  but 
the  mind,  exercised  upon  the  same  subject,  is  left  to  the 
spontaneous  return  of  such  terms  and  phrases,  as  having 
been  used  bfore,  may  happen  to  present  themselves  a« 
gain.  The  sentiment  of  both  passages  is  throughout  a- 
like ;  half  of  that  sentiment,  the  denunciation  of  God's 

*  In  these  comparisons,  we  often  perceive  the  reason,  why  the  writ- 
er, though  expressing  the  same  idea,  uses  a  different  term ;  namely, 
because  the  term  before  used  is  employed  in  the  sentence  under  a  dif- 
ferent form.  Thus,  in  the  quotation  under  our  eye,  the  new  man  is 
xxifoi  etv^^&iTro^y  in  the  Ephesians,  and  rov  no*  in  the  Colossians  j 
and  then  it  is  because  r^v  xxio»  is  used  in  the  next  word  xyxxeayov" 

f  Ephes.  ch.  v.  6 — 8.     Atu  rccvrx  yct^i^^irxi  ^  e^yn  tc» 

rnv,      Hts  yec^Tori  irKonroi^  vuv  5e  (pai  gv  Kv^ico'  a)§  rinvx  <pejr«s 

1^  Colos.  ch.  iii.  6 — 8.  At  u,  t^^trxi  ij  o^yaj  T«y  0eay  im 
rav<;  hiov<;  t))5  <x,7\riikix<i'  «y  ait;  kcci  uf4.u$  Tri^itTrxrntTxrt  TTcrif  or« 
«^)jrg  iv  xvtok;,      Nyyi  ^g  ctfrdh<rh  xxi  ituui  rx  Tvxrrx, 


126'  TH*  f  PfSTLE  TO  THE   EPHESIAKS. 

#ratli,  IS  expressed  in  identical  words  j  the  other  half  viz, 
the  admonition  to  quit  their  former  conversation,  in 
words  entirely  different. 

Ephes.  ch.  v.  t^r,  i^.  **  See  then  that  ye  walk  circum- 
«  spectly  ;  not  as  fools,  but  as  \vise,  redeeming  the  time."* 

Colo's,  ch.  iv.  5.  «<  Walk'iT^^  wisdom  towards,  them 
«  that  are  Without,  redeeming  the  time."f 

This  is  another  example-df  that  mixture  which  we  re- 
marked of  sameness  and  variety  in  the  language  of  one 
"ftrriter.  "  Redeeming  the  time,*'  {i^xyo^x^ofovot  roy  kki- 
|ey)  is  a  literal  repetition.  *'  Walk  not  as  fools,  but  as 
^*  wise"  {'Trigi'nret'niri  ^ii  a?  ccTcipoi  «aa'  as  o-icpet)  answers  ex- 
actly in  sense,  and  nearly  in  ternis,  to  "  walk  in  wisdom" 
(tv  o-oipux,  TTSoiTt'etireni).  Ui^trrxruri  «xg<€&»?  is  a  very  deffer- 
ent  phrase,  but  is  intended  to  convey  precisely  the  same 
idea  as  vi^i-Tt^'titrt  w^oj  tow?  t%e>>  i  uK^iQ^fg  is  not  well  ren- 
<lered  "  drcUhispectly.'*  It  means  what  in  modem  speech 
*s<re  should  call  "  correctly  j"  and  when  we  advise  a  per- 
son to  behave  "  conectly,"  our  advice  is  always  given 
with  a  reference  to  **  the  opinion  of  others."  tt^o^  rayj  «|a», 
"  Walk  correctly,  redeeming  the  time,"  i.e.  suiting  your- 
-selves  to  the  difficulty  and  ticklishness  of  the  times  in 
which  u'e  live,  *'  because  the  days  are  evil." 

Ephes.  ch.  vi.  19,  20.  "  And  (praying)  for  me  that 
mterance  may  be  given  tmto  me,  that  I  may  open  my 
ihouth  boldly  to  make  known  the  mystery  of  the  Gospel, 
ior  which  I  am  an  ambassador  in  bonds,  that  therein  I 
may  speak  boldly,  as  I  ought  to  speak."  J 

*  Ephes.  ch.  V.  15,  i6.  BXiTrin  cw  'rug  «xgA;$  yn^i^K- 
run'  (i6n.a)i  t^ro^oiy  cc?\X^  ag  troipoit  i^ccyo^u^o/mvoi  rov  XMi^ov. 

\  Coios.  ch.  iv.  5.  £v  (Todpiu,  -ri^iTrccrtiTi  TT^ci  rovs  s|(5i»,  toy 
keti^by  i^xyo^x^ofiivot. 

^  Ephes.  ch.  vi.  19,  20.  Keci  vfTi^  iy-ovy  Ux  yoi  ^c^rjj 
Aoydj  £v  xyoi^zt  rov  o-rofAxrc^  fC6V  iv  Trx^fvia-iXy  yvu^iirxi  to  fivorH- 
i^iov  70V  ivxyyiT^ioVi  VTTi^  ov  tt^it^ivw  iv  ^^Kvnif  im  i¥  ecv'Tu  «r«g- 
f i»ff*i«ff-*'fc^<^  ft»5  hi  fii  hxMTXi' 


THE  epi^ttE  <rd  rhft  «)»hesians.  127 

Golbs.  ch.  iv.  3,4.  "  Withal  praying  also  for  U6,  that 
"  God  Would  open  unto  us  a  door  of  utterance  to  speak 
**  the  mystery  of  Christ,  for  which  t  am  also  in  bonds, 
**  that  I  may  make  it  manifest  as  I  ought  to  speak."* 
•  In  these  quotations,  the  phrase  *'  as  I  ought  to  speak*' 
(«i?  ht  fit  XxMreii),  the  words  "  utterance"  (A«y«?),  *«  mys- 
**  tery"  {fccvrrYi^tev)  "  open"  («j'di||}  and  «?  xni^u)  are  the 
Same.  **  To  make  known  the  mystery  of  the  Gospel/* 
(yva^iTxi  TO  ^v<rrm9v),  answers  to  **  make  it  manifest"  (/V« 
^ctte^wTD  uuro);  *♦  for  which  I  am  an  ambassador  in  bonds" 
(wTTs^  cu  TT^ia-'^svu  tv  uXvrn),  to  **  for  which  I  am  also  in 
X  bonds,"  {h*  d  Kxi  ^shftxi). 

Ephes.  ch.  v.  2  2 .  '*  Wives  submit  yourselves  to  your  oivfi 
"  husbands^  as  unto  the  Lord^  for  the  husband  is  the  head 
"  of  the  wife,  even  as  Christ  is  the  head  of  the  church, 
**  and  he  is  the  saviour  of  the  body.  Therefore,  as  the 
•*  church  is  subject  unto  Christ,  so  let  the  w^ves  be  to  their 
•♦  own  husbands  in  every  thing.  Hushandsy  iove  your 
**  luives,  even  -as  Christ  also  loved  the  church,  and  gave 
♦*  himself  for  it,  that  he  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with 
**  the  washing  of  water  by  the  word ;  that  he  might  pr.e- 
"  sent  it  to  himself  a  glorious  church,  not  having  spot  or 
"  wrinkle,or  any  such  thing ;  but  that  it  should  be  holy  and 
'*  without  blemish.  So  ought  men  to  love  their  wives  as  their 
**  own  bodies.  He  that  loveth  his  wife,  loveth  himself; 
♦<  for  no  man  ever  yet  hated  his  own  flesh,  but  nourisheth 
«  and  cherisheth,  it,  even  as  the  Lord  the  church  j  for  we 
<*  are  members  of  his  body,  of  his  flesh,  and  of  his  bones. 
*'  For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave  his  father  and  his  moth- 
**  er,.and  be  joined  unto  his  wife,  and  they  two  shall  be 
one  flesh.  This  is  a  great  mystery  j  but  I  speak  con- 
**  ceming  Christ  and  the  Church.  Nevertheless,  let  eve- 
'*  ry  one  of  you  in  particular,  so  love  his  wife  even  as  him- 

Colos.  ch.  iv.  '^    4,      n^o(r«y;^»^«yd<  Ufitc  KXt  Tt^t   jjpw», 


128  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE   EPHESIAN3. 

♦*  self;  and  the  wife  see  that  she  reverence  her  husband. 
♦*  Children^  obey  your  parents  in  the  Lord,  for  this  is  right, 
"  Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother  (which  is  the  first 
"  commandment  with  promise),  that  it  maybe  well  with 
•*  thee,  and  thou  mayest  Hve  long  on  the  earth.  And  ye 
*•''  fathers,  provoke  not  your  children  to  ivrath,  but  bring  them 
*'  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord.  Ser' 
"  vants,  be  obedient  to  them  tljat  are  your  masters  according  to 
"  the  fleshy  ivith  fear  and  tremblings  in  singleness  of  your  hearty 
**  as  unto  Christ ;  not  with  eye  service,  as  men  pleasers,  bat 
**  as  the  servants  of  Christ,  doing  the  nvill  of  God  from  the 
**  heart,  nwith  good  'will  doing  service,  as  to  the  Lord,  and  not 
"  to  men  ;  knowing  that  nvLatsoevsr  gooa  thing  any  man  doeih, 
**  the  same  shall  ht  receive  of  the  Lord,  whether  he  be  bond  or 
**free.  And,  ye  masters,  do  the  same  things  unto  thenfi, 
**  Forbearing  threatening  ;  knowing  that  your  master  also  is 
«•  in  heaven,  neither  is  there  respect  of  persons  with  him."* 
f  Colos.  ch.  iii.  18.     "  Wives,  submit  yourselves  unto 

*  Ephes.  ch.  v.  22.      *A«  yvy«»xt?,  rot^  <5iJ<?  fltv^^«(r»y  v'xo- 

+  Colos.  ch.  iii,    18.       "Ai  yvvxi>tic,  v7roruf<n<r9£  tois  t^icii 

Ephes.  *0i  «v5^£5  ecyxTTccTi  rug  yummcc^  tccvrcjv, 
Colos.  'Oi  <«y^§s?,  xyctTfein  t<*«  yvm^aus* 
Ephes.   T<*  riiivec,  v^cCKovtri  ton  ydnv<rtv  IfAm  ivKv^ia'  inv- 
re  yx^  i^i  ^ixxioy* 

Colos.   Tx  Tiftvx.  vxxKoviTi  To*$  yoyiviTt  xxrx  vxyrx'  tovt« 

yXP  iTftV  iVXpiirTOV  Ta-Kv^tf, 

Ephes.   Kxt  a«  xxn^ig  fin  'Kx^t^i^wi  rx  nxvx  vf^m, 
Colos.  'Oi  TTXTS^ii  fzn  *i^i6f^irz  rx  riMx  vf^<i;v. 

Ephes.     'Ot  ^0V^6h     VTTXiCOViTi  T<51$    >CV^(6ii     KXTX  (TX^KX    fiitX 
^OWOtf    KXl  T^dfiOV,   tV  tftTT AOT)}T<  T*)5  XX^OiX?    V^O>V,  A'i  TO)  Xgi^«*  fX,ii 

Kxr  0(pdxXicc>^cvMixf  loi  xv6^ioxx^is-xot,  xXX*  aig  oovXoi  rev  X^i^ev, 
Toievvri?  ro  hMy.x  rov  ©eoy  ex  "^v^viii'  f>cir  ivvotxg  aevMv^vrtg 
ag  ro)  Kv§<a»,  x.xi  cvk  xv^ocJTToig'  u^crig  ori  0  ixv  ri  iKx^og  vcit^i^ 
xyxQaVy  rovTc  ico^mritL  TFx'ex. rov  Kv^iov,  ini  Sov^e5>  «<«  tMySi^og^ 
*  TTx^e^yt^in,  lectio  non  spernenda.  Griesb'ach. 


THE  BflSTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  Tip 

*•  your  own  husbands,  as  it  is  fit  in  the  Lord.  Husbands, 
"  love  your  wives  and  be  not  bitter  against  them.  Chil- 
**-dren  obey  y«ur  parents  in  all  things,  for  this  is  well 
«*  pleasing  unto  the  Lord.  Fathers,  provoke  not  your 
**  children  to  anger,  lest  they  be  discouraged.  Servants, 
**  obey  in  all  things  your  masters  according  ta  the  flesh  ; 
**  not  with  eye  service,  as  men  pleasers,  but  in  singleness 
*'  of  heart,  fearing  God  ;  and  whatever  ye  do,  do  it  heart- 
'*  ily,  as  to  the  Lord,  and  not  unto  men,  knowing  that 
"  of  the  Lord  ye  shall  receive  the  reward  of  the  inheri- 
«  tance,  for  ye  serve  the  Lord  Christ.  But  he  that  doeth 
*'  wrong  shall  receive  for  the  wrong  which  he  hath  done  j 
"  and  their  is  no  respect  of  persons.  Masters,  give  unto 
•*  your  servants  that  which  is  just  and  equal,  knowing  that 
"  ye  also  have  a  master  in  heaven." 

The  passages  marked  by  Italics  in  the  quotation  frdiii 
the  Ephesians,  bear  a  strict  resemblance,  not  only  in  sig, 
nification  but  in  terms,  to  the  quotation  from  the  Colos- 
siaas.  Both  the  wdrds  and  the  order  of  the  wcyrds  are  in 
many  clauses  a  (duplicate  of  one  another.  In  the  Epistla 
to  the  Colossians,  these  passages  are  laid  together  ;  in  that 
to  the  Ephesians,  they  are  divided  by  intermediate  matter ; 
especially  by  a  long  digressive  allusion  to  the  mysterious 
union  between  Christ  and  his  church ;  which  possessing, 
as  Mr.Locke  hath  well  observe^  the  mind  of  the  apostle, 
from  being  an  incidental  thought,  grows  up  into  tlie  prin- 
cipal subject.  The  aflSnity  between  these  two  passages  in 
signification,  in  terms,  and  in  tlie  order  of  the  words,  is 
closer  than  can  be  pointed  out  between  any  parts  of  any 
two  epistles  in  tlie  volume. 

GoiOS,    0<  d»vh9h  VTmKoven  «ukt«  Tretrrcc  rets   tutrcc  <r««x/» 


130  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIAKS. 

If  the  reader  would  see  how  the  same  subject  is  treated 
by  a  different  hand,  and  how  distinguibhable  it  is  from  the 
production  of  the  same  pen,  let  him  turn  to  the  second 
and  tliird  chapters  of  the  First  Epistle  of  St.  Peter.  The 
duties  of  servants,  of  wives,  a:»  d  of  husbands,  are  enlarged 
upon  in  that  epistle,  as  they  are  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephe- 
sians;  but  the  subjects  both  occur  in  a  different  order, 
and  the  train  of  sentiment  subjoined  to  each  is  totally  un- 
like. 

3.  In  two  letters  issuing  from  the  same  person,  nearly 
at  tlie  same  time,  and  upon  the  same  general  occasion,  we 
may  expect  to  trace  the  influence  of  association  in  the  or- 
der in  which  the  topics  follow  one  another.  Certain  ideas 
univei  sally  or  usually  suggest  otlieis.  Here  the  order  is 
what  we  call  natural,  and  from  such  an  order  nothing  can 
be  concluded.  But  when  the  order  is  arbitrary,  yet  alike, 
the  concurrence  indicates  the  effect  of  that  principle,  by 
which  ideas  which  have  been  once  joined,  commonly  re- 
visit the  thoughts  together.  The  epistles  under  consid- 
eration furnish  the  two  following  remarkable  instances  of 
this  species  of  agreement. 

Ephes.  ch.  iv.  24,  "  And  that  ye  put  on  the  new  man 
"  which  after  God  is  created  in  righteousness  and  true  ho- 
"  liness  ;  wherefore,  putting  away  lying,  speak  every  man 
*'  truth  with  his  neighbour,  for  we  are  members  one  of 
"  another."* 

Colos.  ch.  iil.  9.  "  Lie  not  one  to  another ;  seeing 
♦'  that  ye  have  put  off  the  old  man,  with  his  deeds ;  and 
••  have  put  on  the  new  man,  which  is  renewed  in  knowl- 
«  edge."t 

*  Ephes.  ch.  iv.  24,  25.       K««  iv^vTX(r6xi  r^  KXt^ov  ccy- 

XXli6uXi'  ^(0    X7Fe$ifii¥0t  TO  ^l^iV^OSf     AccAetTE  XhlfSilXV   iKX^Og  UiTX 

\  Colos.  ch.  iii.  9.     Mn  il^vha-6i  uq  «AA»jAtf$,  xTCiK^vc-uf^i- 

|rO(  TdV   7rxXXl6V  Xf^^UTTtfy  CTW  TXi^  TT^X^KTIV  XVTCVt  KXf  tVdVTX^ii.i* 

r^¥  V19V,  rat  »mKXtvitfUyo¥  6*f  tfrtyvunf'^ 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE   EPHESIANS.  I31 

■  The  vice  of  « lying,"  or  a  correction  of  that  vice,  does 
not  seem  to  bear  any  nearer  relation  to  the  «*  putting  on 
«  the  new  man,"  than  a  reformation  in  any  other  article 
of  morals.  Yet  these  two  ideas,  we  see  stand  in  both 
epistles  in  immediate  connection. 

Eph.  ch.v.2o,2i.  «  Giving  thanks  always  for  all  things 

**  unto  God  and  the  Father,  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Je- 

*'  sus  Christ ;  submitting  yourselves  one  to  another  in  the 

I  tear  of  God.     Wives,  submit  yourselves  unto  your  own 

husbands,  as  uHto  the  Lord."  * 

Colos   ch   iii.  17.     u  Whatsoever  ye  do,   In  word  or 

deed  do  all  m  the  name  of   the    Lord  Jesus,  giving 

"Lor?;'"'''''"'   ,,,,  husbands,  as  it  is  fit  In  the 
In  both  these   passages,  submission  follows  ^Ivlnff  of 

tount7or  r'  -y.similltude  in  the  ideas  which  shfuld 
account  for  the  transition. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  pursue  the  comparison  between 
^e  two  ep,stles  farther.  The  argument  which  results 
fbm  u  stands  thus.  No  two  other  epistles  contain  nK 
cumstance  wh.ch  mdicates  that  they  were  written  at  the 
^ame,  or  nearly  at  the  same  time.  No  two  other  e- 
p.st  es  exh,b,t  so  many  marks  of  correspondency  and  re 
semblance.  If  the  original  which  we'asoribe  'to  the" 
two  ep,stles  be  the  true  one.  that  is,  if  they  were  both  r^ 
aUy  wntten  by  St.  Paul,  and  both  sent  to  their  respective 
destmafon  by  the  same  messenger,  the  simiHtude  is  in  all 
pomts,  what  should  be  expecte  J  to  take  place.     K  they 

* 'Ephes.  ch.  V.  2n t-9      v  ' 

t  coios.  ch.  iii.  ,7/  K«,  ;« i,  „  „  „„„.  „  ;^-,;,  ^^  - 


132  T«E  EPISTLE  TO  THE   EPHESIANS. 

were  forgeries,  then  the  mention  of  Tychicus  in  both 
epistles,  and  in  a  manner  which  shews  tliat  he  either  car- 
ried  or  accompanied  both  epistles,  was  inserted  for  the 
purpose  of  accounting  for  their  similitude  ;  or  else  the 
structure  of  the  epistles  was  designedly  adapted  to  that 
circumstance  ;  or,  lastly,  the  conformity  between  the 
contents  of  the  forgeries,  and  what  is  thus  indirectly  inti- 
mated concerning  their  date,  was  only  a  happy  accident. 
Not  one  of  these  three  suppositions  will  gain  credit  with 
a  reader  who  peruses  the  epistles  with  attention,  and  who 
reviews  the  several  examples  we  have  pointed  out,  and  the 
observations  with  which  they  were  accompanied. 

No,    IL 

There  is  such  a  thing  as  a  peculiar  word  or  phrase 
cleaving,  as  it  were,  to  the  memory  of  a  writer  or  speak- 
er, and  presenting  itself  to  his  utterance  at  every  turn.. 
When  we  observe  this,  we  call  it  a  cant  word,  or  a  cant 
phrase.  It  is  a  natural  effect  of  habit  ;  and  would  appear 
more  frequently  than  it  does,  had  not  the  rules  of  good 
writing  taught  the  ear  to  be  offended  with  the  iteration 
of  the  same  sound,  and  often  times  caused  us  to  reject,  on 
that  account,  the  word  which  offered  itself  first  to^  oui 
recollection.     With   a  writer  who,  like  St.  Paul,  either 
knew  not  these  rules,  or  disregarded  them,  such  words 
will  not  be  avoided.     The  truth  is,  an  example  of  this 
kind  runs  through  several  of  his  epistles,  and  in  the  epis- 
tle before  us  abounds;  and  that  is  in   t^e  Vford  riches 
{irxcvrcgy)  used  metaphorically  as  an  argumentative  of 
the  idea  to  which  it  happens  to  be   subjoined.     Thus, 
"  the  riches  of  his  glqrj,*'  "  his  riches  m  glory,'*  "  rkhes 
of  the  glory  of  his  inheritance,"  "  riches  of  the  glory  of 
his  mistery,"  Rom.  ch.xi.  23,  Ephes.  ch.  iii.  1.6,  Ephes, 
ch.  i.  18,  Colos.  ch.  i.  27  ;  **  riches  of  his  grace."  twice 
in  the  Ephesians,  ch.  1.   7,  and  ch.  ii.  7  ;  «  riiies  of  the 
full  assurance  of  understanding,"  Colos,  ch.  ii.  2  ;  ''riches 


THE    EPISTLE   TO  THE   £PHESIAN^.  I33 

o£  his  goodness,"  Rom.  ch.  il.  4;  ^^  riches  of  the,  wis- 
dom of  God,"  Rom.  ch.  xi.  33  ;  *'  riches  of  Christ/' 
Eph?s.  ch.  ill.  8.  In  a  like  cense  th^  adjective.  Rom. 
ch.  X.  12,  "  rich  unto  all  that  call  upon  him  ;"  Ephes. 
ch.  ii.  4,  "  rich  in  mercy  ;"  i  Tim.  ch.  vi.  18,  *'  rich  m 
geod  works."  Also  the  adverb,  Colos  ch.  iii.  16,  *'  let 
tlie  word  of  Christ  dwell  in  you  richly.**  This  figurative 
use  of  the  word,  though  so  familiar  to  St.  Paul,  does  not 
occur  in  any  part  of  the  New  Testament,  except  once  in 
the  epistle  of  St.  James,  ch.  ii.  5.  "  Kath  not  God  cho- 
**senthe/^or  oftliis  world,  r/V;6  in  faith?"  where  it  is 
manifestly  suggested  by  the  antithesis.  I  propose  the 
frequent,  yet  seemingly  unaffected  use  of  this  phrase  in 
the  epistle  before  us,  as  one  internal  mark  of  its  genuine- 
ness. 

No.  III. 

There  is  another  singularity  in  St.  Paul's  style,  which, 
/'herever  it  is  found,  may  be  deemed  a  badge  of  authen- 
ticity J  because,  if  it  were  noticed,  it  would  not,  I  think, 
be  imitated,  inasmuch  as  it  almost  always  produces  em- 
barrassments and  interruption  in  tlie  reasoning.  This 
singularity  is  a  species  of  digression  which  may  probably, 
I  think,  be  denominated  going  off  at  a  ivord.  It  in 
taming  aside  from  the  subject  upon  the  occurrence  of 
>Ome  particular  woi-d  J 'forsaking  the  train  of  thought  then 
in  hiand/and  entering  upon  a  parenthetic  sentence  in^vhich 
that  word  is  the  prevailing  term.  I  shall  lay  before  the 
reader  some  examples  of  this,  collected  frOm  the  other 
epistles,  hnd  then  propose  two  examples  cf  it  which  are 
"fijundan  the  Epistle  to.  the  Ephes'ians.  2  Cor.  ch.  ii.  14, 
.■\t-Hi(?wofd  scfoar,  '  «  Now  thanks  be  unto  God,  which 
**'al^i7}i  causeth- us  to  triumph- in  Christ,  and  m^kcth 
*'  manifest  "the  savor  of  His  ki^owledge  by*  us  'n\  every  pjace; 
**  for  we  are^unto  God  a  s>^vcet  s'avor  of  Christ,  in,,them 
'^  that  are  sav^d,'ahd  i"i"thQmthat,ptrish.;,  to  the  one  we 
*•  are  tlic  saver  of  death  unto  death,  and  to  the  other  the; 
M 


^34  "^^^  EPISTLE  TO   THE   E?HES1ASS. 

«*  savor  of  life  unto  life  ;  and  v.ho  is  sufficient  of  these 
**  things  ?  For  wc  are  not  as  many  which  corrupt  the  word 
*'  of  God,  but  as  of  sincerity,  but  as  of  God  ;  in  the  sight 
**  of  God  speak  we  in  Christ."  Again,  2  Cor.  ch.  iii.  i, 
at  the  word  epstk.  "  Need  we,  as  some  others,  ephlles  of 
•*  ccnimendation  to  you  ?  or  of  commendation  from  you  f 
**  ye  are  our  epIsfJe,  written  in  our  hearts,  known  and  read 
**  of  all  men  ;  forasmuch  as  ye  are  manifestly  declared  to 
**  be  the  epiyfk  of  Christ,  ministered  by  us,  written  not 
'"  with  ink,  but  with  the  spirit  of  the  living  God  ;  not 
*'  in  tables  of  stone,  but  in  the  fleshly  tables  of  the 
*'  he.lrt."  The  position  of  the  words  in  the  original,  shews 
more  strongly  than  in  the  translation  that  it  was  the  oc- 
currence of  the  word  txiaT^}iV)  which  gave  birth  to  the  sen- 
tence that  follows.  2  Cor. chap,  iii.  i .  E;  jLcn  zi^^^^ih  ^'?  '^*J'«f> 

ervirrccriKUV  i7rt(rroXafv  ^r^og  v^ttfs?,  tj  i|  vudJv  c-va-Tocnxuv  ^  jj  stt^t- 
r^Xyi  tifiosv  vnu^  is-re,  iyyiy^eif^f^nvn  «v  ran;  Koc^icnq  iif^atv,  yivua-' 

C6X>.»  Trvivf^cc&ri  Giov  ^avro^'  ax.  m  TrXa^t  Xt^ivxtg,  «AA'  sv    7;A«|< 

Again,  2  Cor.  ch.  iii.  12,  &c.  at  the  wordi;*//.  **  See- 
**  ing  then  that  \ve  have  such  hope,  we  use  great  plainness 
•*  of  speech  ;  and  not  as  Moses,  which  put  a  vail  over  his 
*<  face,  that  the  children  of  Israel  could  not  stedfastly  look 
*«  to  the  end  of  that  ^a  hich  is  abolished.  But  their  minds 
**  were  blinded  ;  for  until  this  day  rcmaineth  the  same  vail 
*' imtaken  away  in  the  reading  of  the  Old  Testament, 
"  which  'Da'il  is  done  away  in  Christ ;  but  even  unto  this 
*'  day,  when  Moses  is  read,  the  'vall  is  upon  their  heart ; 
«  nevertheless,  when  it  shall  turn  to  the  Lord,  the  vaU 
«*  shall  be  taken  av/ay  (now  the  Lord  is  that  spirit ;  and 
«  where  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty).  But 
«<  we  all,  with  open  face,  beholding  as  in  a  glass  the  glo- 
«  ry  of  the  Lord,  are  changed  into  the  same  image  from 
■■^  ^loty  to  fiery,  even  as  by  the  spirit  of  the  Lord.  There- 


THE    EPISTLE    TO  THE    EPHESIA^fS.  135' 

"  tore,  seeing  we  have  tliis  ministry,  as  we  have  received 
"  mercy,  we  faint  not." 

Who  sees  not  that  this  whole  allegory  of  the  vail  arises 
entirely  out  of  the  occurrence  of  the  word,  in  telling  us 
that  "  Moses  put  a  vail  over  his  face,"  and  that  it  drew 
the  apostle  away  from  the  proper  subject  of  his  discourse, 
the  dignity  of  the  office  in  which  he  was  engaged  ;  wliich 
subject  he  fetches  up  again  almost  in  the  words  with  which 
he  had  left  it ;  "  therefore  seeing  we  have  this  ministry,  as 
"  we  have  received  mercy,  we  faint  not."  The  sentence 
which  he  had  before  been  going  on  with,  and  in  which  he 
had  been  interrupted  by  the  vail,  was,  "  seeing  then  that 
**  we  have  such  hope,  we  use  great  plainness  of  speech/' 

In  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  the  reader  will  remark 
two  instances  in  which  the  same  habit  of  composition  ob- 
tains ;  he  will  recognize  the  sanae  pen.  One  he  will 
find,  chap.  iv.  8 — 1 1,  at  the  word  ascended.  *'  Wherefore 
"  he  saith,  when  he  ascended  up  on  high,  he  led  captivity 
*'  captive,  and  gave  gifts  unto  men.  (Now  \}x3it'ht ascemU 
*<  ed,  what  is  it  hut  that  he  also  descended  first  unto  the 
"  lower  parts  of  the  earth  ?  He  that  descended  is  the  same 
'•'also  that  ascended  up  far  above  all  heavens,  that  he 
**  might  fill  all  things.)  And  he  gave  some  apostles,'* 
&c. 

The  other  appears,  chap.  v.  12 — 15,  at  the  word  light. 
"  For  it  is  a  shame  even  to  speak  of  those  things  which 
**  are  done  of  them  in  secret ;  but  all  things  that  are  re- 
**  proved,  are  made  manifest  by  the  light ;  (for  whatsoev- 
**  er  doth  make  manifest,  is  light  i  wherefore  he  saith,  a- 
"  wake,  thou  that  deepest,  and  arise  from  the  dead,  and 
*'  Christ  shall  give  thee  light ;)  see  then  that  ye  walk  cir- 
*'  cumspectly." 

No.  IF, 

Although  it  does  not  appear  to  have  ever  been  disputed 
that  the  epistle  before  us  was  written  by  St.  Paul,  yet  it- 


t^6  THE   EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIAi'.'i. 

h  well  known  that  a  doubt  has  long  been  entertained  con- 
cerning the  persons  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  The  qaes- 
tion  is  founded  partly  in  some  ambiguity  in  the  external 
evidence.  Marcion,  a  heretic  of  the  second  century  as 
quoted  by  TertuUian,  a  father  in  the  beginning  of  the 
third,  calls  it  the  Epistle  to  the  Laodiceans.  From  what 
we  know  of  Marcion,  his  judgment  is  little  to  be  relied 
upon  ;  nor  is  it  perfectly  clear  that  Marcion  was  rightly 
understood  by  TertuUian.  If,  however,  Marcion  be' 
brought  to  prove  that  some  copies  in  his  time  gave  6»  Aeco- 
^iKtioc  m  the  superscription,  his  testimony  if  it  be  truly  inter- 
preted, is  not  diminished  by  his  heresy ;  for,  as  Grotius 
observes,  "rwr  mea  re  mentiretur  nihil er at  causa.^'  The  name  eih 
Bpia-a,  in  the  first  verse,  upon  which  word  singly  depends  the 
proof,  that  the  epistle  was  written  to  the  Ephesians,  is  not 
read  in  all  the  manuscripts  now  extant.  I  admit,  however, 
that  tlie  external  evidence  preponderates  with  a  manifest  ex- 
cess on  the  side  of  the  received  reading.  The  objection  there- 
fore principally  arises  from  the  contents  of  the  epistle  itself^ 
which,  in  many  respects,  militate  with  the  supposition  that 
it  was  written  to  the  church  of  Ephesus.  According  to 
the  history,  St.  Paul  had  passed  two  v»'hole  years  at  Ephe- 
sus, Acts,  -chap.  xix.  lo.  And  in  this  point,  viz.  of  St. 
Paul  having  preached  for  a  considerable  length  of  time 
at  Ephesus,  tlie  history  is  confii-med  by  the  two  Epistles 
to  the  Corinthians,  and  by  the  two  Epistles  to  Timothy. 
**  I  will  tarry  at  Ephesus  until  Pentecost."  i  Cor.  ch. 
xvi.  ver.  8.  "  We  w^ould  not  have  you  ignorant  of  our 
**  trouble  which  came  to  us  in  j^siaJ*  2  Cor.  ch.  i.  8. 
"  As  I  besought  thee  to  abide  still  at  Ephesus,  when  I  went 
"  into  Macedonia.'*  i  Tim.  ch.  i.  3.  "  And  in  how 
"  many  things  he  ministered  to  me  at  Ephesus  thou  kaow- 
*'  est  well."  2  Tim.  ch.  i.  18.  I  adduce  these  testi- 
monies, becase,  had  it  been  a  competition  of  credit  between 
the  history  and  the  epistle,  I  sliould  have  thought  myself 
bound  to  have  preferred  the  epistle.     Now,  every  epistle 


THE    EPISTLE    TO  THE    EPHEilAHS,  I37 

which  St.  Paul  wrote  to  churches,  which  he  himself  had 
founded,  or  which  he  had  visited,  abounds  with  referen- 
ces, and  appeals  to  what  had  pUssed  during  the  time  that 
he  vas  present  amongst  them  ;  whereas  thei'e  is  not  a 
tert  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  from  which  we  can 
collect  that  he  had  ever  been  at  Ephesus  at  all.  The  two 
Epistles  to  the  Corinthians,  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians, 
the  Epistle  to  the  Philippians,  and  the  two  Epistles  to  the 
Thessalonians,  ate  of  this  class ;  and  they  are  full  of  al- 
lasions  to  the  apostle's  history,  his  reception,  and  his  con- 
duct, wliiist  amongst  them  ;  the  total  want  of  which,  in 
the  epistle  before  us,  is  very  difficult  to  account  for,  if 
k  was  in  truth  written  to  the  choirch  of  Ephesus,  in  which 
city  he  had  resided  for  so  long  a  time.  This  is  tlie  first 
and  strongest  objection,  j&at  further,  the  Epistle  to  the 
Colosslans  was.  addressed  to  a  clnarch,  in  which  St^  Paul 
bad  never  been.  This  we  infer  from  the:  first  verse  of 
the  second  chapter.  '*  For  I  would  that  ye  knew  what 
•*  great  conflict  I  have  for  you  and  for  them  at  Laodicea, 
*•  and  for  as  many  as  have  not  seen  my  face' in  the  flesh.** 
There  could  be  no  propriety  in  thus  joining  the  Coiossians 
and  Laodiceans  with  those  "  who  had  not  seen  his  face 
**in  the  liesh,"  if  they  did  not  also  belong  to  the  same 
description.*  Now,  his  address  to  the  Coiossians,  whom 
Ke  had  not  visited,  is  precisely  the  same  as  his -address  to 
the  Christians,  to  whom  he  -v^Tote  in  the  epistle,  which  we 
are  now  considering.  **  We  give  thanks  to  God  and  the 
**  Father  of  our  Lord  J«sus  Christ,  prayi^ig  always  for 
"  you,  since  'we  heard  of  your  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  of 
**  the  love  w)  ich  ye  have  to  all  the  saints."  Col.  ch.  i.  3* 
Thus  he  speaks  to ^the  Coiossians,  in.  the  epistle  before  us* 
as  follows.  «  Wherefore  I  also,  after  I  heard  of  your  faith 
"  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  love  unto  all  the  saints,  cease 
*'  not  to  give  thanks  for  you  in  my  prayers,"  chap.  i.  15, 
The  terms  of  this  address  are   observable.      The  words 

*  Dr.  I.ardner  contends  against  the  valfdrty  of  this  conclusion  ;  butj 
I  think  v/ithcut  success.-     Lardner,  vol.  xiv.  p.  475.  edit.  1757.     '  ' 
M.2 


138  THE    EPISTLE   TO    THE    EPHESIAN3. 

«•'  having  heard  of  your  faith  and  love»"  are  die  very  words 

we  see,  which  he  uses  towards  strangers;  and  it  is  notprob- 

able  that  he  should  employ  the  same  in  accosting  a  church 

in  which  he  had  long  exercised  his  ministry,  and  whose 

*'  faith  and  love ,"  he  must  have  personally  knovvn.*    The 

Epistle  to  the  Romans  was  written  before  St.  Paul  had 

been    at   Rome ;    and  his   address  to  them  runs  in  the 

same  strain    with  that  just  now  quoted ;    **  I  thank  my 

"  God,  through  Jesus  Christ,  for  you  all,  that  your  faith 

**  is  spoken  of  throughout  the  whole  world."     Rom.  chap. 

i.  8.     Let  us  now  see  v/hat    was  the  form  in  which  cur 

apostle  was  accustomed  to  introduce  his  epistles,  when  he 

wrote    to  those  with  whom  he  was  already "  acquainted. 

To  tlie  Corinthians  it  was  this.      *'  I  thank  my   God  al- 

**  ways  on  your  behalf,  for  the  grace  of  God  which  is  giv- 

"  en  you  by  Christ  Jesus.''      i    Cor.  ch.  i.  4.      To  the 

Philippians.     I  thank  my  God  upon  every  remembrance 

"of  you."     Phil.  ch.i.  3.     To  the  Thessalonians.  *'  We 

**  give  thanks  to  God  always  for  you  all,  making  mention 

•*  of  you  in  our  prayers,   remembering  without  ceasing 

*'  your  work  of  faith,  and  labor  of  love.'*     i  Thess.  chap. 

i  3,     To  Timothy.     *'  I  thank  God,  whom  I  serve  from 

**  my  forefathers  with  pure  conscience,  that  without  ceas- 

**  ing  I  have  remembrance  of  thee  in  my  prayers  night 

**  and  day."     2  Tim.  chap.  i.  4.     In  these  quotations,  it 

is  usually  his  remembrance^  and  never  his  hearing  of  them> 

which  he  makes  the  subject  of  his  thankfulness  to  God. 

As  great  difficulties  stand  in  the  way  of  supposing  the 

*  Mr.  Locke  endeavours  to  avo-iU  this  difficulty,  by  explaining 
*<  their  faith,  of  which  St.  Paul  had  heard,"  to  mean  the  steadfastness 
of  their  persuasion  that  they  were  called  into  the  kingdom,  of  God, 
without  subjection  to  the  Mosaic  icstitution.  .But  this  interpreta- 
tion seems  to  me  extremely  bard ^-^  fcr,  in  the  manner  in  which  faith 
is  here  joined  with  Icve,  in  the  expression,  "  your  faith  and  love,"  it 
cculd  net  be  meant  to  denote  any  particular  tenet  whicli  distinguish- 
ed one  set  of  Christians  from  others ;  forasmuch  as  the  expression 
describes  the  general  virtues  of  the  Chri&tian  proftstion.  Vide  Locke, 
in  loc. 


THE   EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  I  ^^• 

epistle  before  us  to  have  been  written  to  the  church  of 
Ephesus,  so  I  think  it  probable  that  it  is  actually  the  Epis- 
tle to  the  Laodiceans,  referred  to  m  the  fourth  chapter 
of  the  Epistfe  to  the  Colossians.  The  text  which  contains 
that  reference  is  this.  **  When  this  epistle  is  read  among 
*'  you,  cause  that  it  be  read  also  in  the  church  of  the  La- 
"  odiceans,  and  that  ye  likewise  read  the  epistle  from  La- 
•*  odicea,  chap.  iv.  i6.  The  **  epistle  from  Laodicea" 
was  an  epistle  sent  by  St.  Paul  to  that  church,  and  by 
them  transmitted  to  Colosse.  The  two  churches  were  mu- 
tually to  communicate  the  epistles  they  had  received- 
This  is  the  way  in  which  the  direction  is  explained  by  the 
greater  part  of  commentators,  and  is  the  most  probable 
sense  that  can  be  given  to  it.  It  is  also  probable  that  the 
epistle  alluded  to  was  an  epistle  which  had  been  received 
by  the  church  of  Laodicea  /afefy.  It  appears  then,  with  a 
considerable  degree  of  evidence,  that  there  existed  an  epis- 
tle of  S'l.  Paul's  nearly  of  the  same  date  with  the  Epistle 
to  the  Colossians,  and  an  epistle  directed  to  a  church  (for 
such  the  church  of  Laodicea  was)  in  which  St.  Paul 
had  never  been.  What  has  been  observed  concerning  the 
epistle  before  us,  shews  that  it  answers  perfectly  to  that 
character. 

Nor  does  the  mistake  seem  very  difficult  to  account  for. 
Whoever  inspects  the  map  of  Asia  Minor  will  see,  that  a 
person  proceeding  from  Rome  to  Laodicea  would  prob- 
ably land  at  Ephesus,  as  the  nearest  frequented  seaport' 
in  that  direction.  Might  not  Tychicus  then,  in  passing 
through  Ephesus,  communicate  to  the  Christians  of  that 
place  the  letter,  with  which  he  was  charged  ?  And  might. 
not  copies  of  that  letter  be  multiplied  and  preserved  at, 
Ephesus  ?  Might  not  some  of  the  copies  drop  the  words- 
of  designation  sv  rri  Axo^iKux,*  which  it  was  of  no  conse- 

*  And  it  is  remarkable  that  there  seem  to  have  been  some  antient 
copies  without  the  words  of  designation,  either  the  words  in  Ephesus, 
or  the  words  in  Laodicea.  St.  Basil,  a  writer  of  the  fourth  certury, 
speaking  of  the  present  epistle,  has  this  vary  singular  passage.     "  And 


I3|X>^  THE  tPXSTXE  TO  THE   EP~HHS1ANS. 

qiience  to  an  Ephesian  to  retain  ?  Might  not  copies  of 
the  letter  come  put  into  the  Christian  church  at  large 
from  Ephesus  i  and  might  not  this  give  occasion  to  a  be- 
lief that  the  letter  was  written  to  that  church  ?  And,  last- 
ly, might  not  tliis  belief  produce  the  error,  which  we  sup- 
pose to  have  crept  into  the  inscription  ? 

No.  V, 

As  our  epistle  purports  to  have  been  written  during' 
St.  PauPs  imprisonment  at  Rome,  which  lies  beyond  the 
period,  to  which  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  brings  up  his 
history  ;  and  as  we  have  seen  and  acknowledged  that  the 
epistle  contains  no  reference  to  any  transactions  at  Ephe- 
sus during  the  apostle's  residence  in  that  city,  we  cannot 
expect  that  It  should  supply  many  marks  of  agreement  with 
the  narrative.  One  coincidence  however  occurs,  and  a  coin- 
cidence of  that  minute  and  less  obvious  kind,  which,  as 
hath  been  repeatedly  observed,  is  of  all  others  the  most  to 
be  relied  upon. 

Chap.  vl.  19^20,  we  read,  "praying  for  me,  that  I 
**  may  open  my  mouth  boldly,  to  make  known  tlie  mys- 
"  tery  of  the  gospeU  for  which  I  am  an  ambassador  in 
*'  bonds.'*  *'  In  honds^^^  £»  kxvcru.,  in  a  chohu  In  the 
twenty  eighth  chapter  of  die  Acrs  we  ,are  informed,  that 
Paul,  after  his  arrival  at  Rome,  was  suffered  to  dwell  by 

«*^  writing  to  the  Epbesians,  js  triUj*  united  to  him  who  is  through 
*•  knowledge,  he  (Piial)  calletb  tuefln  iit  a  peculi-at  sense  smh  iv^oarej 
"  saying,  to  the  saints  ii;ho  arc  and.  (or  even)  the  fyrthful  in  Christ  Jjsus  i 
"  fcr  SO  those  before  us  hi.ve  transmitted  it^  and  we  have  found  it  in 
"  ancient  copies."  Dr.  Mill  interprets  (?.nd,  notwithstanding  some 
oltjections  that  have  been  made  to  him  in  my  opinion  ri^itly  inter- 
prats)  these  words  of  Basii.  as  declaring  that  thislather  had  seen  cer- 
Ltin  copies  of  the  Epistle  in  which  tha  wordit  "  in  Kpiaesus"  were 
•wanting.  And  the  n;>.s3age,  I  think,  must  be  coasidered  as  B.  sil's  fan- 
ciful way  of  explviining"  what  wai;  really  a  corrHpt  and  defective  read- 
ifjg ;  for  I  do  not  believe  it  possible  th^it  the  author  of  the  Epistle 
coidd  have  origin ;>i'y  -written  ayiop;  ro^  ovTih  witkoyt  aoy  name  of 
place  to  follow  a. 


THE    EPISTLE  TO  THE   EPHESTANS.  I4I 

himself  with  a  soldier,  that  kept  him.  Dr.  Lardner  has 
shown  that  this  mode  of  custody  was  ia  use  amongst  the 
Romans,  and  that  whenever  it  was  adopted  the  prisoner 
was  bound  to  the  soldier  by  a  single  chain  ;  in  reference 
to  which  St.  Paul,  in  the  twentieth  verse  of  tliis  chapter, 
tells  the  Jews,  whom  he  had  assembled,  **  For  this  cause 
"  therefore  have  I  called  for  you  to  see  y.ou.  and  to  speak 
**  widi  you,  because  that  for  the  hope  of  Israel  I  am  bound 
'*  'with  this  chain,'*  r/iv  eiXvcnv  recvrn*  'xzoiKzif.t.cci,  It  is  m  ex- 
act conformity  therefore  with  the  truth  of  St.  Paul's  sit- 
uation at  the  time,  that  he  declares  of  himself  in  the  epis- 
tle Tire^iAivif  £v  kxva-ii.  -  And  the  exactness  is  the  more  re- 
markable, as  kxvTi-,  (a  chain)  is  no  where  used  in  the  sin- 
gular number  to  express  any  other  kind  of  custody.  When 
the  prisoner's  hands  or  feet  were  bound  together,  the 
word  was  ^ix/Aoi  (bonds),  as  in  the  twenty  sixth  chapter 
of  the  Acts,  where  Paul  replies  to  Agrippa,  "  T  would  to 
«  God  that  not  only  thou,  but  also  all  that  hear  me  this 
•«  day,  were  both  almost  and  altogether  such  as  I  am,  ex- 
*'  cept  these  bonds,**  -xxszKxaq  rav  hr^av  rovrm.  When  the 
prisoner  was  confiiied  between  two  soldiers,  as  in  the  case 
of  Peter,  Acts,  chap.  xii.  6,  two  chains  were  employed  ; 
and  it  is  said,  upon  his  miraculous  deliverance,  that  the 
«  chains''  (^Ayre;?,  in  the  plural)  "  fell  from  his  hands." 
LiT(A.o;  the  noun,  and  h^(4,xi.  the  verb,  being  general  terms> 
were  applicable  to  this  in  common  with  any  other  species 
of  personal  coertion  ;  but  ci.xva-i<i,  ia  the  singular  number, 
to  none  but  this. 

If  it  can  be  suspected  that  the  writer  of  the  present  epis- 
tle, who  in  no  other  particular  appears  to  have  availed 
himself  of  the  information  concerning  St.  Paul  delivered 
in  the  Acts,  had,  in  this  verse,  borrowed  the  word,  which 
he  read  in  that  book,  and  had  adapted  his  expression  to 
what  he  found  there  recorded  of  St.  Paul's  treatment  at 
Rome  ;  in  short,  that  the  coincidence  here  noted  was  ef- 
fected by  craft  and  design  ;  I  think  it  a  strong  reply  to 
remark,  that,  in  tlie  parallel  passage  of  the  Epistle  to  the 


fi42  TH.B  EM«TfcE  TO  THE   EPHESIANS. 

Colcssians,  the  same  allusion  is  not  preserved  ;  the  words 
there  arc;  "  praying  also  for  us,  that  God  would  open  un  - 
**  tOt  us  a  door  of  utteraaice  to  speak  the  mystery  of  Christ, 
**  for  which  /  am  also  In  bonds, ^*  ^i  o  Kxt  hfruott.  After 
what  has  been  shown  in  a  precedii^g  number,  there  can  bs 
little  douht  but  that  these  two  epistles  were  written  by  the 
same  person.  If  the  writer  therefore  sought  for,  and 
fraudulently  inserted,  the  correspondency  into  one  epistle, 
why  did  he  not  do  it  in  the  other  I  A  real  prisoner  might 
use  either  general  words  which  comprehended  this  amongst 
many  other  modes  of  custody  ;  or  might  use  appropriate 
words  which  ^eciSed  this,  and  distinguished  it  from  any 
other  mode.  It  would  be  accidental  which  form  of  ex- 
pression he  fell  upon.  But  an  impostor,  who  had  the  ait 
in  one  place,  to  employ  the  appropriate  term  for  the  pur- 
XK3se  of  fraud,  would  have  vised  it  in  both  places. 


i 


CHAP.  VII. 

FHE  ETISTLE  TO  THE  PHI'LIP^PIANS. 
No.    L 


Wi 


HEN  a  transaction  Is  referred  to  in  such  a 
manner,  as  that  the  reference  is  easily  and  immediately 
understood  by  those  who  are  beforehand,  or  from  other 
quarters,  acquainted  with  the  fact,  but  is  obscure,  or  im- 
perfect, or  requires  investigation,  or  a  tromparison  of  dif- 
ferent parts,  in  order  to  be  made  clear  to  other  readers, 
the  transaction  so  refen^ed  to  is  probably  real ;  because, 
had  it  been  fictitious,  the  writer  would  have  set  forth  his 
story  more  fully  and  plainly,  not  merely  as  conscious  of 
the  fiction,  but  as  conscious  that  his  readers  could  have 
no  other  knowledge  of  the  subject  of  his  Tilliision  than 
from  the  information  of  which  he  put  them  in  posses- 
sion. 

The  account  of  Epaphrodiuis,  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Philippians,  of  his  journey  to  Rome,  and  of  the  business 
which  brought  him  thither,  is  the  article  to  which  I  mean 
to  apply  this  observation.  There  are  three  passages  in 
the  epistle  which  relate  to  this  subject.  The  first,  chap.  i. 
7.  *'  Even  as  it  is  meet  ft)r  me  to  tliink  this  of  you  all, 
"  because  I  have  you  in  my  heart,  inasmuch  as  both  in 
*'  my  bonds,  and  in  the  defence  and  confirmation  of  the 
"  gospel,  ye  all  are  <rvyKoiv6Jvoi  fta  tn^  xot^iro^^  joint  con- 
"  tributors  to  the  ^ift -which  T  have  received.*'*  Noth- 
ing more  is  said  in  this  place.      ^In  the  latter  part  of  the 

*  Pcsrce,  I  believe,  was  the  first  commentator  who  gave  this  sense 
to  the  expression  ;  and  I  believe  also,  that  his  exposition  is  now  gen- 
erally assented  to.  He  interprets  in  the  sair.e  sense  the  phrase  in  the 
fifth  verse,  which  our  translation  renders,  «  yonr  fellowship  in  the 
'*  gospel;"  but  which  in -the  original  is  not  KOiv&'yicc  rev  ivxyyiXiov., 
cr,  x-iivmicc.  iv  Tea  i'juyyiiiW ;  'but  Kiiv^iiici  u^  to  fijxyyiXiov. 


144  """"^  BUSTLE  TO  THE   PHILIPPIANS. 

second'  chapter,  and  at  the  distance  of  half  the  epistle  from 
tlie  last  quotation,  the  subject  appears  again.  "  Yet  1 
"  supposed  it  necessary  to  send  to  you  Epaphroditus,  my^ 
"  brother  and  corapanion  in  labor,  and  fellow  soldier,  but 
"  your  messenger,  and  he  that  ministered  to  my  'wants  ; 
**  for  he  longed  after  you  all,  and  was  fell  of  heavi- 
"  ness,  because  that  ye  had  heard  that  he  had  been 
"  sick  ;  for  indeed  he  was  sick  nigh  unto  death  ;  but 
"  God  had  mercy  on  him,  and  not  on  him  only,  but  on 
"  me  also,  lest  I  should  have  sorrow  upon  sorrow.  I  sent 
"  him  therefore  the  more  carefully,  that  when  ye  see  him 
"  again  ye  may  rejoice,  and  that  I  may  be  the  less  sor- 
"  rowful.  Receive  him  therefore  in  the  Lord  with  ail 
**  gladness  ;  and  hold  such  in  reputation  ;  because  for  the 
**  work  of  Christ  he  was  nigh  unto  death,  not  regarding 
"  his  life  to  supply  your  lack  of  service  toward  me,'*      Chap. 

il.  25 30.     The  matter  is  here  dropped,  asd  no  further 

mention  made  of  it  till  it  is  taken  up  near  the  conclusion 
of  the  epistle  as  follows.  "  But  I  rejoiced  in  the  Lord 
"  greatly,  that  now  at  the  last  your  care  of  me  hath 
**  flourished  again  ;  wherein  ye  were  also  careful,  but  ye 
"  lacked  opportunity  j  not  that  I  speak  in  respect  of  want ; 
/'  for  I  have  learned  in  whatsoever  state  I  am,  therewith 
"  to  be  content.  I  know  both  how  to  be  abased,  and  I 
**  know  hov/  to  abound  ;  every  where  and  in  all  things  J 
^*  am  instructed  both  to  be  full  and  to  be  hungry,  both  tc 
f*  abound  and  to  suffer  need.  I  can  do  all  things  through 
5*  Christ  which  strengtheneth  me.  Notv/ithstandmg  ye 
**  have  •^ell  done  that  yc  did  communicate  v/ith  my  afflic- 
*' tion.  Now  ye,  Phillpplans,  know  aho  jthat  inthe  be- 
«*  ginping  cf  the  gospel,  when  I  departed  fiom  Macedo> 
"  nia,  no  church  communicated  with  me  as  concerning 
<*  giving  and  receiving,  but  ye  only  j  for  even  in  Thess^- 
•vlonica  ye.  sent  once  and  again  unto  my  necessity  ;  not 
"because  i  desire  a  gift  ;  but  I  desire  fruit  that  n:  ay 
"  abound  to  your  account.  But  I  have  all,  and  abound  ; 
**  I  am  full,  having  received  of  Epaphroditus  th'j  things 


THE   EPISTLE   TO  THl   PHIL  !PP1  A  VS.  J4f 

you.'*     Chap.  iv.  lo — 18.     Tp 

tke  Philipplan  reader,  who  knew  that  contributions  were 
v^ont  tobemade  in  that  church  for  the  apostle's  subsistence 
and  rehefjthat  the  supply  which  they  were  atc'ustcmed  to 
send  to  him  had  been  delayed  by  the  want  of  opportunity, 
thatEpaphroditus  had  undertaken  the  charge  of  conveying 
their  liberality  to  the  hands  of  the  apostle,  that  he  had  ac- 
quitted himself  of  this  commission  at  the  peril  of  his  llfe» 
by  hastening  to  Rome  under  the  oppression  of  a  grevious 
sickness  ;  to  a  reader  who  knew  all  this  beforehand,  every 
line  in  the  above  quotation  would  be  plain  and  clear. 
But  how  is  it  with  a  stranger  ?  The  knowledge  o£  these 
several  particulars  is  necessary  to  the  perception  and  ex- 
planation of  the  references ;  yet  that  knowledge  must  be 
gathered  from  a  comparison  of  passages  lying  at  a  great 
distance  fi-ora  one  another.  Texts  must  be  interpreted 
by  texts  long  subsequent  to  tliem,  which  necessarily  pro- 
duces embarrassment  and  suspense.  The  passage  quoted 
from  the  beginning  of  the  epistle  contains  an  acknowl- 
edgment, on  the  part  of  the  apostle,  of  the  liberality  which 
the  Philipplans  had  exercised  towards  him  ;  but  the  allu- 
sion is  so  general  and  indeterminate,  that,  had  nothing 
more  been  said  in  the  sequel  of  the  epistle,  it  would  hard- 
ly have  been  applied  to  this  occasion  at  all.  In  the  sec- 
ond quotation,  Epaphroditus  is  declared  to  have  "  minis- 
"  tered  to  the  apostle's  v/ants,"  and  **  to  have  supplied 
*'  their  lack  of  service  towards  him  ;'*^  but  Loiu,  that  is, 
at  whose  expence,  or  from  what  fund  he  **  ministered," 
or  what  was  the  '*  lack  of  service"  which  he  ?iipplied.  are 
kft  very  much  unexplained,  till  we  arrive  at  the  third 
quotation,  where  we  find  Epaphroditus,  "  rninistercd  to 
"  St.  Paul's  wants,"  only  by  conveying  to  his  hands  the 
contributions  of  the  Phiiippians  ;  *'  I  am  full,  having  re- 
*«  celved ,  of  Epaphroditus  the  things  which  were  sent 
**  from  you;"  and  diat  "  the  lack  of  service  v>'hich  he 
**  supplied"  was  a  delay  or  interruption  of  tlieir  accustom- 

<.>d  bcuntv,  occasioned  by  the  want  of  opportunitVj   **  t 
■    ■  ■  '-  ■  ■■     ^f- 


t^^'  THE   EFItJTLE  TO  THE   PHILIPPIANS. 

**  rejoiced  in  the  Lord  greatly,  that  now  at  the  last  your 
»'  care  of  me  hath  flourished  again  ;  wherein  ye  were  al- 
«  so  careful^  but  yc  lacked  opportunity.'*  The  affair  at 
length  comes  out  clear ;  but  it  conies  out  by  peacemeal. 
The  clearness  is  the  result  of  the  reciprocal  illustration  of 
fiivided  texts.  Should  any  one  chccre  therefore  to  insinu- 
ate, that  this  whole  stoi-y  of  Epaphrcditus,  of  his  journey, 
Kis  errand,  his  sickness,  or  even  his  existence,  might,  for 
vt'hal  we  know,  have  no  other  foundation  than  In  the  'n- 
vention  of  the  forger  of  the  epistle ;  I  answeivthat  a  forg- 
er would  have  set  forth  his  story  connectedly,  and  also- 
more  fully  and  more  perspicuously.  If  the  epistle  be  au- 
thentic, and  the  transaction  real,  then  every  thing  which  is 
said  concerning  Epaphrcditus  and  his  commission,  would 
be  clear  to  those  into  whose  hands  the  epistle  was  expect- 
ed to  come.  Considering  the  Phllippians  as  his  readers,  a 
person  might  naturally  write  upon  tlie  subject,  as  the  au- 
thor of  the  epistle  has  written  ;  but  there  is  no  supposition 
of  forgery  with  which  it  will  suit. 

No.  IL 

The  history  of  Epaphrcditus  supplies  another  observa- 
tion ;  "  Indeed  he  was  sick,  nigh  unto  death  ;  but  God 
"  had  mercy  on  him,  and  not  on  him  oiily,  but  on  me 
<'  also,  lest  I  shoukrhave  sorrow  upon  sorrow."  In  this 
passage,  no  intimation  is  giv-en  that  Epaphroditus's  recov- 
ery w^as  miiraculous.  It  is  plainly,  I  think,  spoken  of  as 
a  natural  event.  This  instance,  together  with  one  in  the 
Second  Epistle  to  Timothy,  (*'  Trophimus  have  I  left' at 
"  Miletum  sick,")  affords  a  proof  that  the  power  of  per- 
forming cures,  and,  by  parity  of  reason,  of  working  oth- 
er miracles,  was  a  pov>-er  which  only  visited  the  apostles 
cccasionally,  and  did  not  at  all  depend  upon  their  own 
will.  Paul  undoubtedly  would  have  healed  Epaphrodi- 
tus  if  he  could.  Nor,  if  the  power  of  working  cures  had 
awaited  his  disposal,  would  he  have  left  bis  fellow  travel-. 


THE   fcPISTLE    TO    THE    PHILIPPIANS,  I47, 

ler  at  Miletum  sick.  This,  I  think,  is  a  fair  observatioii 
upon  the  instances  adduced  ;  but  it  is  not  the  observar 
tion  I  am  concerned  to  make.  It  is  more  for  the  pur- 
pose of  my  argument  to  reniark,  that  forgery,  upon  such 
an  occasion,  would  not  have  spared  a  miracle  ;  much  less 
would  it  have  introduced  St.  Paul  professing  the  utmost 
anxiety  far  the  safety  of  his  friend,  yet  acknowledging 
iiimself  unable  to  help  him  ;  which  he  does  almost  ex- 
pressly, in  the  case  of  Trophimus,  for  he  "  left  him  sick  ;" 
and  virtually  in  the  passage  before  us,  in  which  he  felici- 
tates himself  upon  the  recovery  of  Epaphroditus,  in  terms 
which  almost  exclude  the  supposition  of  any  superjiatural 
means  being  employed  to  effect  it.  This  is  a  reseive 
which  norhing  bat  trutli  would  have  imposed. 

No,    IlL 

Chap.  iv.  15,  16.  "  Now  ye,  Phillppians,  know  also 
«*  that  in  the  beginning  of  the  gospel,  when  I  departed 
"  from  Macedonia,  no  church  communicated  with  me, as 
**  concerning  giving  and  receiving,  but  ye  only  ;  for  even 
*'  in  Thessalonica  ye  sent  once  and  again  unto  my  necessi- 
«  ty." 

It  will  be  necessary  to  state  the  Greek  of  this  passage, 
because  our  translation  does  not  I  think,  give  the  sense  of 
it  accurately. 

Kiihxxi  oi  yM,i  vui(g,  <Pi>.t7r'ry)<riotj  on  c,v  ct^*^yi  m  syeiyf'Ajg,  ore 

ooa-iuq  KUi  Av5Y^^-'5)    a  ftr,  v.uetg  /xovoi'  on  xxi  VJ  Qs<rc-ciXovncy,  Kxt 

The  reader  wSH  please  to  direct  his  attention  to  the  cor- 
lespondmg '  particles  on  and  srt  k^,  which  connect  the 
words  s»  x^x^  ra  fvocyfiA^y,  hn  tgijA^ay  xw  Muxi^omx^,  vAlh 
the  words  tv  <S^v(r«,^oyncy},  and  denote,  as  I  interpret  the 
passapfe,  two  disthict  donations,  or  rather  donations  at ' 
two  distinct  petrojj,'  dne  at  Thessalonica,  at^^l  kxi  h^y  the 
other  (3/>^f  bTs  departure  from  Macedonia,  en  4n^6ovu9r<t 


1^8  rns    EpisTLE  to  the  PHILIPPTAH?. 

MxKitavtst-,.*  T  wauld  render  the  passage,  so  as  to  mark  these 
different  periods,  thus.  "Now  yePhilippians,know  also,  that 
«  In  the  beginning  of  the  gospel,  when  I  was  departed 
**  from  Macedonia,  no  church  communicated  with  me  a:? 
**  concerning  giving  and  receiving,  but  ye  only ;  and  that 
**  also  'in  Thessalonica  ye  sent  once  and  again  unto  my 
*?  necessity."  Now  wlih  tliis  exposition  of  the  passage 
co'mpare  3  Cor.  ch.  xl.  8,  9.  **  I  robbed  other  churches, 
**  taking  wages  of  them  to  do  you'  seivice  ;  and  when  I 
**'\^'as' present  Xvith  you  andVanted,  I  was  chargeable  to 
**'no  man  i  for  that  which  was  lacking  to  me  the  brethrea 
♦*  which  came  from  Macedonia  supplied.'* 
'  Pc  app^rs  from  St.  Paul's  history,  as  related  in  tlie 
Acta  of  the  Apostle,  that  upon  leaving  Macedonia  he  pas-' 
sed,  after  a  very  short  stay  at  Athens,  into  Achaia.  It 
appears,  secondly,  from  the  quotation  out  of  the  Epistle 
to  the  Corinthians,  that  in  Achaia  he  accepted  no  pecu- 
niary assistance  from  the  converts  of  that  country  ;  but 
that  he  drew  a  supply  for  his  wants  from  the  Macedonian 
Christians.  Agreeably  whereunto  it  appears,  in  the  third 
place,  from  the  text  which  is  the  subject  of  the  present 
jiumber,  that  the  brethren  in  Philippi,  a  city  of  Macedo- 
nia, had  followed  him  with  their  munificence,  on  tlriXSov 
»^o  MctKi^ovixg,  when  he  was  departed  from  Macedonia, 
that  i-s  when  he  was  cotne  into  Achaia, 

The  passage  under  consideration  affords  another  circum- 
stance of  agreement  deserving  of  our  notice.  The  gift 
alluded  to  in  tlie  Epistle  to  the  Philippians  is  stated  to 

*  Luke,  ch.  ii.  15.  Kaci  lyivire,  ag  cf^yiXSov  octt  uvnov  ug  roy 
v^xviv  ci  »y{i7^oi,  <'  as  the  angels  were  gone  away,"  i.  e.  after  their 
departure,  01  Trcifiivi;^  tiTrcv  rr^og  ccXXriXag.  Matth.  ch.  xii.  43, 
'Qtxv  ^£  TO  uxx6x^Tcv  TfviVfMC  ip^iXSvi  UTTo  TH  civ&^oiTFH,  "  whcn  the 
<'  unclean  spirit  is  gone."  i.  e.  after  his  departure,  5<2g;^8T«*.  John, 
ch,  xiii.  3c,  'Org  i\nXh  ( lu^ccg)  "  when  he  was  gone,"  i.  e.  after  his 
4ieparture,  Aeyt:  Urug,  Acts,  ch.  x.  7,  m  h  UTVYiXkv  0  xyfiXog  i' 
XxXi>v.  TO)  K<5gv)jA(*,  «  and  when  the  angel  which  spake  unto  him 
*•  was  dcparied,"  l  c.  after  his  departure,    <^i:yt-(t<;   ^V9  rm  <nKixm, 


T/lk     EPlCYLf    TO     i'Ah.    rHIlIPP£A»3.  i  J^() 

havt  bten  made  **  in  the  beginning  of  the  gospel."  This 
phrase  is  most  n>nurally  explained  to  signify  the  first 
preaching  of  the  gospel  in  these  parts  ;  viz.  on  that  side 
of  the  iEgean  sea.  The  succours  referred  to  in  the  Epis- 
tle to  the  Corinthians,  as  received  from  Macedonia,  are 
stated  to  have  been  received  by  him  upon  his  first  visit  to 
the  peninsula  of  Greece.^  The  dates  tlierefore  assigned 
to  tlie  donation  in  the  two  epistles  agree ;  yet  is  the  date 
in  one  ascertained  very  incidentally,  namely,  by  the  con- 
siderations which  fix  the  date  of  the  epistle  itself;  and  in 
the  other,  by  an  expression  ("  the  beginning  of  the  gos- 
"  jpel")  much  too  general  to  have  been  used,  if  the  text 
had  been  penned  with  any  view  to  the  correspondency  we 
are  remarking. 

Further,  die  phrase,  "in  the  ^^j^«W«^  of  the  gospel,"  rais- 
es an  idea  in  the  reader's  mind  that  the  gospel  had  been 
preached  there  more  than  once.  The  writer  would  hard- 
ly have  called  the  visit  to  which  he  refers  the  "  beginning 
"  of  the  gospel,"  if  he  had  not  also  visited  them  in  some 
other  stage  of  it.  The  fact  corresponds  with  this  idea. 
If  we  consult  the  sixteenth  and  twentieth  chapters  of  the 
Acts,  we  shall  find,  that  St.  Paul,  before  his  imprison- 
ment at  Rome,  during  which  this  epistle  purports  to  have 
been  written,  had  beii  iwice  in  Macedonia,  and  each  time 
at  Philippi. 

No.  IF. 

That  Timothy  had  been  long  with  St.  Paul  at  Pliilippi 
is  a  fact  which  seems  to  be  implied  in  this  epistle  tv;icc. 
First,  he  joins  in  the  salutation  with  which  the  epistle 
opens,  •'  Paul  and  Timotheus,  the  servants  of  Jesus  Christy 
•*  to  all  the  saints  in  Christ  Jesus  which  are  at  Philippi.'* 
Secondly,  and  raor«  directly,  the  point,  is  inferred  from 
vrhat  is  said  concerning  him,  chap.  ii.  19  :  **  But  I  trust 
**-iii  the  Lord  Jasus  to  send  Timotheus  shortly  unto  you, 
T'  that  Lalso  may  be  of  good  cpnafort  whea  1  know  yonr 
^      N2 


l^Q  T»li/»WSS:.*tft  .TO  THE   PHILIPPIAWS. 

*i,  State  ;  for  I  have  no  man  like  minded,  who  will  natur* 
«*  ally  .car< for  your  state  ;  for  all  seek  their  own,  not  the 
•V  thiags  -vyhkh  are  Jesu?  Christ's  ;  but  ye  knew  the  proof  ef 
*<  himy  that  as  a  son  with  the  father,  he  hath  served  with 
♦^'  jne  in  the  gospel."     Had  Timotliy's  presence  with  St. 
P^ul  at  Philippi,  when  he  preached  the  gospel  theie,  been 
expressly  remarked  in  the  Acts  of  tlie  Apostles,  this  quo- 
tation might  be  thought  to   contain  a  contrived  adapta- 
tion to  the  history  ;  although,  even  in  that  case,  the  aver- 
xnent,  or  rather  the  allusion  in  the  epistle,  is  too  oblique 
to  afford  much>oom  for  such  suspicion.     But  the  truth 
is,  that  in  tlie  history  of  St.  Paul's  transactions  at  Philip- 
pi,  which  occupies  the  greatest  part  of  the  sixteenth  chap- 
ter of  the  Acts,  no  mention  is  made  of  Timothy  at  alL 
What  appears  concerning  Timothy  in  the  history,  so  far 
•as  relates  to  the  present  subject,  is  this  ;    "  When  Paul 
"  came  to  Derbe  and  Lystra,  behold  a   certain  disciple 
<'  was  there  named  Timotheus,  whom  Paul  would  have 
<«  to  go  forth  with  him."   '  'the  narrative  then  proceeds 
with  the  account  of  St.  Paul's  progress  through  various 
provinces  of  the  Lesser  Asia,  till  it  brings  him  down  to 
Troas.     At  Troas  he  was  warned  in  a  vision  to  pass  over 
liito  Macedonia.      In  obedience  to  which  he  crossed  the 
»^gean  sea  to  Sam.othracia,  the  next  day  to  Neapolis, 
and  from  thence  to  Philippi.     His  preaching,,  miracles^ 
and  persecutions  at  Philippi  follow  next;    after  which 
Paul  and  his  company,  v/hen  they  had  passed  through 
Amphipolis  and  Apollinia,  came  to  Thessalonica,   and 
from  Thessalonica  to  Berea,     From  Berea  the  brethren 
sent  av/ay  Paul ;    "  but  Silas  and  Timotheus  abode  there 
*«  still."     The  itinerary,   of  which  the  above  is  an  abl 
stract,  is  undoubtedly  sufficient  to  support  an  inference 
that  Timothy  was  along  with  St.  Paul  at  Philipp'.      We 
find  them  setting  out  together  upon  this  progress  froni 
P^rbe,  in  Lycaonia ;  we  find  them  together  near  the  con- 
clusion of  it,  at  Berea,  in  Macedonia.     It  is  highly  prob- 
able, therefore,   thaV  ibey  came  together  to  Philippic 


THE  EPISTLE    TO  THP  PHILF^PIAHS.  l$t 

through  which  their  route  between  these  two  places  lay. 
If  this  be  thought  probable,  it  is  sufficient.  For  what  I 
wish  to  be, observed  is,  that  in  comparing,  upon  this  sub- 
ject, the  epislle  with  the  history,  we  do  not  find  a  recital 
in  one  place  of  what  is  related  in  another ;  but  that  we 
find,  what  is  much  more  to  be  relied  upon,  an  oblique  al- 
lusion to  an  implied  fact. 

.       No,  F, 

Our  epistk  purports  to  have  been  written  near  the  con- 
clusion of  St.  Paul's  imprisonment  at  Rome,  and  after  a 
residence  in  that  city  of  considerable  duration.  These 
circumstances  are  made  out  by  different  intimations,  and 
the  intimations  upon  the  subjectpreserve  among  themselves 
a  just  consistency,  and  a  consistency  certainly  unmeditated. 
First,  the  apostle  had  already  been  a  prisoner  at  Rome  so 
long,  as  that  the  reputation  of  hisbonds,  and  of  his  constancy 
under  them,  had  conj:ributed  to  advance  the  success  of  the 
gospel.  "  But  I  would  ye  should  understand,  brethren,  tliat 
'*  the  things  which  happened  unto  me  have  fallen  cut 
**  rather  unto  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel ;  so  that  my 
**  bonds  in  Christ  are  manifest  in  ail  the  palace,  and  in  all 
"  other  places  ;  and  many  of  ihe  brethren  in  the  Lord 
•*  waxing  conSdent  by  my  bonds,  are  mudi  more  bold  to 
"  speak  the  word  witliout  fear."  Secondly,  the  account 
given  of  Epaphroditus  imports,  that  St.  Paul,  when  he 
wrote  the  epistle,  had  been  in  Rome  a  considerable  time ; 
♦*  He  longed  after  you  all,  and  was  full  of  heaviness^  be* 
"  cause  that  ye  haJ  heard  that  he  had  been  sick."  Epa- 
phroditus was  v/ith  St.  Paul  at  Rome.  He  had  been  sick; 
The  Philipplans  had  heard  of  his  sickness,  and  he  aj^aiiv 
had  received  an  account  how  much  they  had  been  afrecti 
ed  by  tlie  intelligence.  The  passing  and  repassing  of 
these  advices  must  necessarOy  have  occupied  a  larg-e  porw. 
tion  of  time,  and  must  have  all  taken  place  during  3t, 
Paul's  residence  at  Rome.    Thirdly,  after  a  residence  a«j 


U^  TMS  EPISTLE  -rOTME   PttJL! JPIANS. 

Rome  thiis  proved  to  have  been  of  considerable  duration, 
he  now  regards  the  decision  of  his  fate  as  nigh  at  hand. 
He  contemplates  either  alternative,  that  of  his  deliverance, 
ch.  ii.  23.  "  Him  therefore  ('Timothy)  T  hope  to  send. 
*^  preiently,  so  soon  as  I  shall  see  how  it  will  go  with  me ; 
**  but  I  tiust  iu  the  Lord  that  T  also  myself  shall  come 
<'  shortly;*'  that  of  his  condemnation,  ver.  17,  "Yea,  and 
*'  if  I  be  offered*  upon  the  sacrifice  and  service  of  your 
**  faith,  I  joy  and  rejoice  with  you  all.'*  This  consisten- 
cy is  material,  if  the  consideration  of  it  be  confined  to  the 
epistle.  It  is  further  material,  as  it  agrees  with  respect.to 
the  duration  of  St.  Paul's  first  imprisonment  at  Rome, 
with  the  account  delivered  in  the  Acts,  which,  having 
brought  tlie  apostle  to  Rome,  closes  the  history  by  telling 
us,  **  that  he  dwelt  there  tivo  whole  years  in  his  own  hired 
"  house.*' 

No.  VL 

Chap.  i.  23.  '*  For  I  am  in  a  strait betv/iit  two,  havi' 
**  ing  a  desire  to  depart,  and  be  with  Christ ;  which  is  far 
"better.** 

With  this  compare  2  Cor.  chap.  v.  8.  "  We  are  con- 
•<  fident  and  wiiiing  rather  to  be  absent  from  the  body, 
**  a.nd  to  be  present  wka  the  Lord." 

The  sameness  of  sentiment  in  these  two  q'ao'tations  is 
obvious.  I  rely  however  not  so  much  upon  thatt,  as  upon- 
the  similitude  in  the  train  of  thought  v/hich  m  each  epistle 
leads  up  to  tliis  sentiment,  and  upon  the  suitableness  of 
that  tram  of  thought  to  the  circumstances  under  which 
the  epistles  purport  to  Lave  been  written.  This,  I  con- 
ceive, bespeaks  the  production  of  the  same  mind,  and  of 
a  niind  <>peratiflg  upon  real  circumstances.  The  senti- 
aient  is  in  botli  .places  preceded  by  the  contemplation  of 
iiH9iiae:%t  personal  danger.     To  the  Philippians  he  writes 

Mood  be  poured  out  as  a  libation  upon  the  r*crifice  of  your  faith. 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHlLtPPlAN^,  155 

in  the  twentieth  verse  'of  this  chapter,  "  According  to 
"  my  earnest  expectation  and  my  hope,  that  in  notliing  I 
"  shall  be  ashamed,  but  that  with  all  boldness,  as  always^ 
<'  so  nonv  also,  Christ  shall  be  magnified  in  my  body,^ 
**  whether  it  be  by  life  or  death.*'  To  the  Corinthians, 
*'  Troubled  on  every  side,  yet  not  distressed  ;  perplexed, 
<*  but  not  in  despair  ;  persecuted,  but  not  forsaken  ;  cast 
**  down,  but  not  destroyed  ;  always  bearing  about  in  tlic 
**  body  the  dying  of  the  Lord  Jesus.'*  This  train  of  re- 
flection is  continued  to  the  place  from  whence  tlie  words 
which  we  compare  are  taken.  The  two  epistles,  though 
written  at  different  times,  from  different  places,  and  to 
different  churches,  wetebotli  written  under  circumstances 
which  would  naturally  recal  to  the  author's  mind  the 
precarious  condition  of  his  life,  and  the  perils  which  con- 
stantly awaited  him.  When  the  Epistle  to  the  Philippi- 
ans  was  written,  the  author  was  a  prisoner  at  home,  ex- 
pecting his  trial.  When  the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Co- 
rinthians was  written,  he  had  lately  escaped  a  danger  in 
which  he  had  given  himself  over  for  lost.  The  epistle 
©pens  with  a  recollection  of  this  subject,  and  tlie  impres- 
sion accompanied  the  writer's  thoughts  throughout. 

I  know  that  nothing  is  easier  than  to  transplant  into  aforg- 
€d  epistle  a  sentiment  or  expression  which  is  found  in  a  true 
one  ;  or  supposing  both  epistles  to  be  forged  by  the  same 
hand,  to  insert  the  same  sentiment  or  expression  in  both. 
But  the  difficulty  is  to  introduce  it  in  just  and  close  con- 
nection v.'ith  a  train  of  thought  going  before,  and  with  a 
train  of  thought  apparently  generated  by  the  circumstan- 
ces under  which  the  epistle  is  written.  In  two  epistles 
purporting  to  be  written  on  different  occasions,  and  ia 
different  periods  of  the  author's  history,  this  propriety 
would  not  easily  be  managed. 
No,  VIL 

Chap.  i.  29.  30  ;  ii.  1,  2.  **  For  unto  you  is  given  in 
•*the  behalf  of  Christ,  not  only  to  believe  on  him,  butal- 
«*  so  to  suffer  for  his  sake,  having  the  same  conflict  which' 


^'  ye  saw  in  nw,  and  »ow  hear  to  be  in  me.  If  there  bev 
"  therefore,  any  congolarion  in  Christ,  if  any  comfort  of 
**  love,  if  aay  feilowsliip  of -the  Spirit,  if  any  bowek  and 
"mercies-:  fulfil  ye  my  joy ;  tliat  ye  be  liki:  rniiided^ 
**  Iiaving  the  jsame  loTe,r  being  of  one  accord,  of  owe 
"  mind."  ... 

With  thi&c<5mpare  Acts  xvi.  22  :  "  And  the  multitude 
"  (at  Philippi)  rose  up  against  them  (Paul  and  Silas)  ; 
**  and  the  magistrates  rent  off  their  clothes,  and  eom- 
*^manded  to  beat  them  ;  and  when  they  had  laid  many 
V  stripes  upon  diem,  they  cast  tliera  into  prison,  charging' 
"  the  jaiiei  to  keep  them  safely  ;  who,  having  received 
**  snch  a  charge,  thrust  them  into  the  imier  prison,  and 
"  made  their  feet  fast  in  the  stocks.*' 

The  passage  in  the  epistle  is  very  remarkable.  I  know, 
not  an  example  in  any  writing  of  a  juster  pathos,  or 
which  more  truly  repiesents  the  workings  of  a  warm  and 
aflEectionate  mind,  than  what  is  exhibited  in  the  quotation 
before  us.*  The  apostle  reminds  his  Philippians  of  their 
being  joined  with  himself  in  the  endurance  of  persecution 
for  the  sake  of  Christ.  He  conjures  them  by  the  ties  of 
their  common  profession  and  tlieir  common  sufferings, 
to  "  fulfil  his  joy  ;'*  to  complete,  by  the  unity  of  their 
faith,  and  by  their  mutual  love,  that  joy  with  which  the 
instances  he  bad  received  of  their  zeal  and  attach. 
iTient  had  inspired  his. breast.  Now  if  this  was  the  real 
effusion  of  St.  Paul's  mind,  of  which  it  bears  the  strong- 
est internal  character,  then  we  have  in  the  words  "  tlic 
*'  same  conflict  which  ye  saw  in  me,'*  an  authentic  con- 
Srmtation  of  so  much  of  the  apostle's  history  in  the  Acts, 
as  relates  to  hifr  transactions  at  Philippi ;  and  tlirough 
that  ofthiJ  intelligence  and  general  fidelity  of  the  histori- 
an. ,,.'-■ 

*  The  priginalis  very  spirited     E*  t/?  «#  •7roi^ce.K>.r.Tii  iv  Xgir**, 


eHAP.  vin. 

THE    EPISTI.E    TO    THE    COLOSSXANg. 
No.  I. 

1  HERE  is  a  circumstance  of  conformity  between 
St.  Paul's  history  and  his  letters,  especially  those  which 
were  wntten  during  his  first  imprtsonmeht  at  Rome,  and 
more  especially  the  Epistles  to  the  Coiossians  and  Ephe- 
sians,  which,  being  too  close  to  be  accounted  for 
from  accident,  yet  too  indirect  and  latent .  to  be  imputed 
to  design,  cannot  easily  be  resolved  into  any  other 
oinginal  than  truth.  Which  circumstance  is  thi.Sj 
that  St.  Paul  in  these  epistles  attribute*  his  imprisonment 
not  to  his  preaching  of  Christianity,  but  to  his  assertinj^ 
the  right  of  the  Gentiles  to  be  admitted  into  it  without 
conforming  themselves  to  the  Jewish  law.  This  was  the 
doctrine  to  which  he  considered  himself  as  a  martvr. 
Thus,  in  the  epistle  before  us,  chap.  i.  24.  (I  Paul)  «  who 
"  now  rejoice  in  my  sufferings  for  you" — *^  for  you,"  i.  e. 
for  those  whom  he  had  never  seen  ;  for  a  few  verses  af- 
terwards he  adds,  "  I  would  that  ye  knew  what  great  con- 
*<  flict  I  have  for  you,  and  for  them  in  Laodicea, 
*<  and  for  as  many  as  have  not  seen  my  jface  in 
"  the  flesh.'*  His  suffering  therefore  for  them  was, 
in .  their  general  capacity  of  Gentile  Christians,  agree- 
ably to  what  he  explicitly  declares  In  his  Epistle  to  the 
Ephesians,  iv.  i .  "  For  tihis  cause,  I  Paid,  the  prisoner 
«*  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  you  Gentiku'*  Again  in  the  epistle 
now  under  consideration,  iv.  3.  *', Withal  praying  al.so 
"  for  us,  that  Gpd  would  open  unto  us  a  door  of  utter- 
**■  ance  to  speak  the  myitery  of  Christ,  for  wl:jich  I  am  also 
•*-in  bonds."  What  tliat  "mystery  of  Christ"  was,  the 
Epistle  to  the  Ephesiajis  distiixctly  ipfcrins  us  ;  •<  -v^reJby 


f$6  THE    EPISTLE    TO    THE    COLOSSIANS. 

•*  when  ye  read  ye  may  understand  my  knowledge  in  the 
•*  mystery  of  Christ,  which,  in  other  ages,  was  not  made 
**  known  unto  the  sons  of  men,  as  it  is  now  revealed  unto 
"  his  holy  apostles  and  prophets  by  the  Spirit,  that  the  Gen- 
"  tiles  should  he  felloiu  heirs^  and  of  the  same  body,  and  partak- 
**  ers  of  his  promise  in  Christ  by  the  gospd^  This,  therefore 
was  the  confession  for  which  he  declares  himself  to  be  in 
bonds.  Now  let  us  enquire  how  the  occasion  of  St.  Paul's 
imprisonment  is'represented  in  the  history.  The  apostle 
had  not  long  returned  to  Jerusalem  from  his  second  visit 
hito  Greece,  when  an  uproar  was  excited  in  that  city  by 
the  clamour  of  certain  Asiatic  Jews^  who,  "  having  seen 
*•*  Paul  in  the  temple,  stirred  up  all  the  people,  and  laid 
"  hands  on  him."  The  charge  advanced  against  him 
was,  that  **  he  taught  all  men  every  where  against  the 
**  people  and  the  law,  and  this  place ;  and  further  brought 
**  Greeks  also  into  the  temple,  and  polluted  that  holy 
*•  place."  The  former  part  of  the  charge  seems  to  point 
at  tlfe  doctrine,  which  he  maintained,  of  the  admission 
of  the  Gentiles,  under  the  new  dispensation,  to  an  indis- 
criminate participation  of  God^s  f  ivour  with  the  Jews. 
But  what  follows  makes  the  matter  clear.  When,  by 
the  interference  of  the  chief  captain,  Paul  had  befen  res- 
cued out  of  the  hands  of  the  populace,  and  was  permit- 
ted to  address  the  multitude  who  had  followed  him  to  the 
stairs  of  the  castle,  he  delivered  a  brief  account  of  his 
birth,  of  the  early  course  of  his  life,  of  his  miraculous 
conversion  ;  and  is  proceeding  in  his  narative,  until  he 
comes  to  describe  a  vision  which  was  presented  to  him, 
as  he  was  playing  in  the  temple  ;  and  which  bid  him  de- 
part out  of  Jerusalem,  *•  for  I  will  send  thee  far  hence 
"  urttdihe  G<f«/iA3tf."  -Acts  xxii.  2f;  :*♦  Tliey  gave  him  au- 
**  dienc^i"  Bays  the  historian,  "  unto  this  word ;  and  then 
•'  lift- uf) 'their  voices,  and  said,  Away  with  such  a  fellow 
".from  the  earth  !•"  Nothing  can  show  more  strongly 
than  this  account  does,  what  was  tlie  ofteiice  which  drew 
down  -iijjoVi .  Sts  "Fasiithe  vcageante-  oi  his  countrym^q. 


THE  EPISTLE    TO  THE  C0L0S31ANS.  i Sf 

His  mission,  to  the  Gentiles,  and  his  open  avowel  of  that 
mission,  was  the  intolerable  part  of  the  a-postle's  crime. 
But  although  the  real  motive  of  the  prosecution  appears 
to  have  been  the  apostle's  conduct  towards  the  Gentiles ; 
yet,  when  his  accusers  came  before  a  Roman  magistrate, 
a  charge  was  to  be  framed  of  a  more  legal  form.     The 
profanation  of  the  temple  was  the  article  they  chose  to  re- 
ly upon.    ..This,  therefore,  became  the  immediate  subject 
of  Tertullus's  oration  before  Fejix,  and  of  Paul's  defence. 
But  that  he  all  along  considered  his  ministry  amongst  the 
Gentiles  as  the  actual  source  of  the  enmity  that  had  been 
exercised  against  him,  and  in  particular  as  the  cause  of 
the  insurrection  in  which  his  person  had  been  seized,  is 
apparent  from  the  conclusion  of  his  discourse  before  Agrip- 
pa.      "  I  have  appeared  unto  thee,"  says  he,  describing 
what  passed  upon  his  journey  to  Damascus,  "  for  this  pur- 
<*  pose,  to  make  thee  a  minister  and  a  witness,  both  of 
**  these  things  which  thou  hast  seen,  and  of  those  things 
"  in  the  which  I  will  appear  unto  thee,  deliverisg  thee 
*'  from  the  people  and  from  the  Gentiles,  unto  whom  now 
*'  I  send  thee,  to  open  their  eyes,  and  to  turn  them  from 
**  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of  satan  unto  God, 
«*  that  tliey  may  receive  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  inheritance 
*^  among  tliem  which  are  sanctified  by  faith  that  is  in  me. 
*«  Whereupon,  O  king  Agrippa,  I  was  not  disobedient  unto 
**  tlie  heavenly  vision  ;  but  shewed  first  unto  them  of  Da- 
**  mascus,  and  of  Jerusalem,  and  throughout  all  the  coasts 
''  of  Judea,,  and  then  to  the  Gentiles,  that  they  should  re- 
*«  pent  and  turn  to  God,  and  do  works  meet  for  repent- 
**  ance,     ,For  these  causes  the  Jews  caught  me  in  the  tern- 
"  pie,  and  went  about  to  kill  me."      The  seizing,  there- 
fore, of  St.  Paul's  person,  from  "vchich  he  was  never  dis- 
ciiarged  till  his  final  liberation  at  Rome  ;   and  of  which, 
therefore,  his  imprisonment  at  Rome  was  the  continuation 
,and  effect,  was  not  in  consequence  of  any  general  persecu- 
tion set  on  foot  against  Christianity  ;  nor  did  it  befal  him 
simply,  as  professing  or  teaching  Christ's  relig;^ion,  v/hick 
O 


158  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLGSSIANS. 

James  and  the  elders  at  Jerusalem  did  as  well  as  he  (and 
yet  for  any  thing  that  appears  remained  at  that  time  un- 
molested) ;  but  it  was  distinctly  and  specifically  brought 
upon  him  by  his  activity  in  preaching  to  the  Gentiles,  and 
by  his  boldly  placing  them  upon  a  level  with  the  once  fa- 
voured and  still  self  flattered  posterity  of  Abraham.  How 
well  St.  Paul's  letters,  purporting  to  be  written  during  this 
imprisonment,  agree  with  this  account  of  its  cause  and  ori- 
gin, we  have  already  seen. 

No.  IL 

Chap.  iv.  10.  "  Aiistarchus  my  fellow  prisoner  salu- 
"  teth  you,  and  Marcus,  sister's  son  to  Barnabas,  touching' 
'*  whom  ye  received  commandments.  If  he  come  unto 
**  you,  receive  him,  and  Jesus,  which  is  called  Justus,  who 
**  are  of  the  circumcision." 

We  find  Aristarcus  as  a  companion  of  our  apostle  in 
^e  nineteenth  chapter  of  the  Acts  and  twenty  ninth  verse, 
"  And  the  whole  city  of  Ephesus  was  filled  with  confu- 
"  sion  ;  and  having  caught  Gains  and  Aristarchus,  men, 
"of  Macedonia,  PauPs  companions  In  iraveU  they  rushed 
"with  one  accord  into  the  theatre."  And  we  find  him. 
upon  his  journey  with  St.  Paul  at  Rome,  in  tlie  twenty 
seventh  chapter,  and  the  second  verse.  "  And  when  it 
*'  was  determined  that  we  should  sail  into  Italy,  they  de- 
*'  livered  Paul  and  certain  other  prisoners  unto  one  nam- 
"  ed  Julius,  a  ceri'turioh  of  Augustus's  band  ;  and,  enter- 
"  ing  into  a  ship  of  Adramyttium,  we  launched,  meaning 
*•  to  sail  by  tlie  coast  of  Asia  ;  one  Jrlstardus,  a  Mace  Jo- 
**  man  o/Tlessalonica,  hetng  ivlth  us.^*  But  might  not  the 
author  of  the  epistle  have  consulted  the  history  ;  and,  ob- 
serving that  the  historian  had  brought  Aristarchus  along 
with  Paul  to  Rome,  might  he  not  for  that  reason,  and. 
without  any  other  foundation,  have  put  down  his  name 
amongst  the  salutations  of  an  epistle,  purporting  to  be 
wTitten  by  the  apostle  from  that  place  ?  I  allow  so  much 
of  possibility  to  this  objection;  that  I  should  not  have  pro- 


THE   EPISTLE   TO    THE   COLOSSIANS*  I59 

]^sed  this  in  the  number  of  comcidences  clearly  undesign^ 
ed,  had  Aristarchus  stood  alone.  The  observetion  that 
strikes  me  in  reading  the  passage  is,  that  togetlier  with 
Aristarchus,  whose  journey  to  Rome  we  trace  in  the  his- 
tory, are  joined  Marcus  and  Justus,  of  whose  coming  to 
Rome  the  history  says  nothing.  Aristarchus  alone  ap- 
pears in  the  history,  and  Aristarchus  alone  would  have 
appeared  in  the  epistle,  if  the  author  had  regulated  himself 
by  that  conformity.  Or  if  you  take  it  the  other  way  ; 
if  you  suppose  the  history  to  have  been  made  out  of  the 
epistle,  why  the  journey  of  Aristarcus  to  Rome  should  be 
recorded,  and  not  that  of  Marcus  and  Justns,  if  the 
groimdwork  of  tlie  narratijrQ  ^  wa^  i^,  ,aj)pearajice  ,  ,o£ 
Aristarchus's  najne  i^  tli^r,^gi^9^,se^]^^tPjJg^e  j^ 

5ible.  .  ^,;,,,       ^  r     ,_,   ,         ,    ;,;     ,.      , 

"  Marcus,  shtsr^s  son  to  Barnabas."  Does  not  this  hint 
account  for  Barnabas's  adherence  to  Mark  in  the  contest 
that  arose  v/ith  our  apostle  concerning  him  ?  "  And  some 
"  days  after  Paul  said  unto  Barnabas,  let  us  go  again  and 
"  visit  our  brethren  in  every  city  W'here  we  have  preached 
"the  word  of,  the  Lord,  and  see  how.  they  do ;  and  Bar^ 
"  naBas  determined  to  take  ivlth  them  yohn^  whose  surname  <was 
"  Mark  J  but  Paul  thought  not  good  to  take  him  with 
"  theip,  who  departed  fi  om  Pamphylia,  and  went  not  with 
'*"tliem[  to  the  work  ;  and  the  contention  was  so  sharp  be- 
**  tween  them,  that  they  departed  asunder  one  from  the 
"other  ;  and  so  Barnabas  took  Mark  and  sailed  unto  Cy- 
f'^prus.'*  The  history  which  records  the  dispute  has  not 
preserved  the  circumstance  of  Mark's  relationship  to  Bar- 
nabas. It  is  no  where  noticed  but  in  the  text  before  us. 
As  far,  therefore,  as  it  applies,  the  application  is  certainly 
uri  designed. 

■  **  Sister^s  son  to  Barnabas."  This  women,  the  mother 
of  Mark,  and  the  sister  of  Barnabas,  was,  as  might  be  ex- 
pected, a  person  of  some  eminence  amongst  the  Christians 
of  Jerusalem, '  It  so  happens  that  we  hear  of  her  in  the 
history.     "  When  Peter  was  delivered  from  prison  he 


l60  THE     EPISTLE  TO    THE   CDLOSSIAKS. 

**  came  to  the  house  of  Mary  the  mother  of  yohn,  'whose  sur- 
^  name  was  Mark,  where  many  were  gathered  together 
<*  praying."  Acts  xii.  12,  There  is  somewhat  of  coin^ 
cidence  in  this ;  somewhat  bespeaking  real  transactions 
amongst  real  pei  sons. 

No.  IIL 

'^^^The  following  coincidence,  though  it  bear  the  appear- 
^ce  of  great  nicety  and  refinement,  ought  not,  perhaps, 
to  be  deemed  imaginary.     In  the  salutations  witli  which 
this,  like  most  of  St.   Paul's  epistles,  concludes,  we  have 
"  Aristarchus  and  Marcus,  and  Jesus,  which  is  called  Jus- 
•^*-  tus,  <who  art  of  the  circumcision.,^*  iv.  lO,  1 1.      Then  fol- 
low also,  *'  Epaphras,  Luke  the  beloved  physician,  and 
"  Demas."      Now  as  this  description,  *'  who  are  of  the 
**.  circumcision,"  is  added  after  the  three  first  names,  it  is 
inferred,  not  without  great  appearance  of  probability,  that 
the  rest,  amongst  whom  is  Luke,  were  not  of  the  circum- 
cision.    Now  can  we  discover  any  expression  in  the  Acts 
of  the  apostles,  which  ascertains  whether  the  author  of  the 
book  was  a  Jew  or  not  \    If  w^e  can  discover  that  he  was 
not  a  Jew,  we  fix  a  circumstance  in  his  character,  which 
coincides  with  what  is  here,  indirectly  indeed,  but  not  very 
uncertainly,  intimated  concereing  Luke  ;     and  we  so  far 
confirm  both  the  testimony  of  the  primitive  church,  that 
the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  was  written  by  St.  Luke,  and  the 
general  reality  of  the  persons  and  circumstances  brought 
together  in  this  epistle.     The  text  in  the  Acts,  which  has 
been  construed  to  shew  that  the  vvriter  was  not  a  Jew,  is 
the  nineteenth  verse  of  the  first  chapter,  where,  in  describ- 
ing the  field  which  had  been  purchased  with  the  reward  . 
of  Judas'  iniquity,  it  is  said,  "  that  it  was  known  unta  all  the 
**  dv/ellers  at  Jerusalem"  insomuch  as  that  field  is  called 
**  in  their  proper  tongue,  Aceldama,  that  is  to  say,  the 
**  field  of  blood."     These  words  are  by  most  commenta- 
tors taken  to  be  the  words  and  observation  of  the  historian, 
and  not  a  part  of  St.  Peter's  speech,  in  tlie  midst  of  which 


THE    EPISTLE  TO    THE      CCLOSSlAl^^.  l6l 

they  are  found.  If  this  be  admitted,  then  it  13  argued 
that  the  exjfression,  *<  in  their  proper  tongue,'*  would  not 
have  been  used  by  a  Jew,  but  is  suitable  to  the  pen  of  a 
Gentile  writing  concerning  Jews.*  The  reader  will  judge 
of  tJie  probability  of  this  conclusion,  and  we  urge  the  co- 
incidence no  further  tlian  that  probability  extends.  The 
coincidence,  if  jt  be  one,  is  so  remote  from  all  possibility 
of  design,  that  nothing  need  be  added  to  satisfy  the  reader 
upon.tliat  part  q£  the  argument. 

Kq:  ir. 

Chap.  iv.  9.     **  With  Onesimus,  a  faithful  and  beloved' 
**  brother,  loho  Is  one  of  you. ''^ 

Observe  how  it  may  be  made  out  that  Ohesimus  ^^aS  a 
'  Golossian.  Turn  to  the  Epistle  to  Philemon^  and  you 
will  find  that  Onesimus  was  the  servant  or  slave  of  Phile- 
mon. The  question  therefore  will  be  to  what  city  Phile- 
mon belonged.  In  the  epistle  addressed  to  him  this  is  not 
declared.  It  appears  only  that  he  was  of  the  same  place, 
whatever  that  place  was,  with  an  eminent  Christian  nam- 
ed Archippus.  <'  Paul,  a  prisoner  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
*'  Timothy  our  brother,  unto  Philemon  our  dearly  be- 
"  loved  and  fellow  laborer  ;  and  to  our  beloved  Ap- 
**  phia,  and  Archippus  our  fellow  soldier,  and  to  the 
*'  church  in  the  house."  Now  turn  back  to  the  Epistle 
td  the  Colossians,  and  you  will  find  Archippus  saluted  by 
name  amongst  the  Christians  of  that  church.-  "  Say  to 
"Archippus,  take  heed  to  the  ministry  which  thou  hast 
«  received  in  the  Lord  that  thou  fulfil  it,"  (iv,  1 7)^  The 
necessary  result  is,  that  Onesimus  also  was  of  the  same 
city,  agreeably  to  what  is  said  of  him,  *' he  is  one  of  you." 
And  this  result  is  the  effect,  either  of  truth  which  produ- 
ces consistency  without  the  writer's  thought  or  care,  or  of 
a  contexture  of  forgeries  confirming  and  falling  in  with 
die  onother  by  a  species  of  fortuity  of  which  I  know  no 

*  Vide  Benson's   Dissertation,  vol.  i.  p.    318,  of  his  works,  ed. 


l62  TH^    FPISTLE  TO    THE   COLOSSIANS. 

example.  The  supposition  of  design,  I  think,  is  excluded, 
not  only  because  the  purpose  to  which  the  design  must 
have  bten  directed,  viz.  the  iverification  of  the  passage  in 
our  epistle,  in  which  it  is  said  concerning  Onesimus,  "  he 
**  is  one  of  you,"  is  a  purpose  which  would  be  lost  upon 
ninety  nine  readers  out  of  a  hundred  ;  but  because  the 
means  made  use  of  are  too  circuitous  to  have  been  the  sub- 
ject of  affectation  and  contrivance.  Would  a  forger,  who 
had  this  purpose  in  view,  have  left  his  readers  to  hunt  it 
out,  by  going  forward  and  backward  from  one  epistle  to 
another,  in  order  to  connect  Onesimus  with  Philemon, 
Philemon  with  Archippus,  and  Archippus  with  Colosse  ? 
all  which  he  must  do  before  he  arrives  at  his  discovery, 
that  it  was  truly  s^d  of  Onesimu£|,,  *«  he  f  f  I^^^^^^J^^^;'!. 


CHAP.  TX. 

THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO    THE 

THESSALONIANS,'  "''^'^^  ' 

No.  I. 


IT  is  known  to  every  Veader  of  Scripture,  thattlic 
First  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians  speaks  of  the  coming 
of  Christ  in  terms  which  indicate  an  expectation  of  his 
speedy  appearance.  *'  For  this  we  say  unto  you  by  the 
**  word  of  the  Lord,  that  ive  which  are  alive  and  remain 
**  unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord  shall  not  prevent  them 
"  which  are  asleep.  For  the  Lord  himself  shall  descend 
*'from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of  the  archan- 
<*  gel,  and  with  the  trump  of  God  and  the  dead  in  Christ 
**  shall  rise  first ;  then  w/?  which  are  alive  and  remain^  shall 
**  be  caught  up  together  with  them  in  the  clouds — But  ye 
"  brethren,  are  not  in  darkness,  that  that  day  should  over- 
**  take  you  as  a  thief,"  (chap.  iv.  15  16,  17.  chap.  v.  4.) 
Whatever  other  construction  these  texts  may  bear^  the 
idea  they  leave  upon  the  mind  of  an  ordinary  reader,  is 
that  of  the  author  of  the  epistle  looking  for  the  day  of 
judgment  to  take  place  in  his  own  time,  or  near  to  It.  Now 
the  use  which  I  make  of  this  circumstance,  is  to  deduce 
from  it  a  proof  that  the  epistle  itself  was  not  the  produc- 
tion of  a  subsequent  age.  Would  an  impostor  have  giv- 
en this  expectation  to  St.Paul,  after  experience  had  proved 
it  to  be  erroneous  ?  or  would  he  have  put  into  the  apostle's 
mouth,  or,  which  is  the  same  thing,  into  v/ritings  purport- 
ing to  come  from  his  hand,  expressions,  if  not  necessarily 
conveying,  at  least  easily  interpreted  to  convey,  an  opinion 
which  was  then  known  to  be  founded  in  mistake  >  I  state 
this  as  an  argument  to  shew  tliat  the  epistle  was  contempo- 


.164  THE    FIRST    EPISTLE 

rary  with  St.  Paul,  which  is  httle  less  than  to  shew  that 
it  actually  proceeded  from  his  pen.  For  I  question  whether 
any  ancient  forgeries  were  executed  in  the  lifetime  of  the^ 
person  whose  name  they  bear ;    nor  was  the  primitive ' 
situation  of  the  church  likely  to  give  birth  to  such  on  at- 
tempt. 

No.  IL 

Our  epistle  concludes  with  a  direction,  that  it  should  ht 
publickly  read  in  the  church  to  which  it  was  addresssed.  ' 
**  I  charge  you  by  the  Lord,  that  this  epistle  be  read  un- 
"  to  all  the  holy  brethren."  The  existence  of  this  clause 
in  the  body  of  the  epistle  Is  an  evidence  of  its  authenticity ; 
because  to  produce  a  letter  purporting  to  have  been  public- 
ly read  in  the  church  of  Thessalonica,  when  no  such  let- 
ter in  truth  had  been  read  or  heard  of  in  that  church,  would 
be  to  produce  an  imposture  destructive  of  itself.  At  least 
it  seems  unlikely  that  the  author  of  an  im.posture  would 
voluntarily,  and  even  officiously,  afford  a  handle  to  so  plain 
an  objection.  Either  the  epistle  was  publicly  read  in  the 
church  of  Thessalonica  during  St.  Paul's  lifetime,  or  it 
was  not.  If  is  was,  no  publication  could  be  more  authen- 
tic, no  species  of  notoriety  more  unquestionable,  no  meth- 
od of  preserving  the  integrity  of  the  copy  more  secure. 
If  it  was  not,  the  clause  we  produce  v^^ould  remain  a  stand- 
ing condemnation  of  the  forgery,  and  one  would  suppose, 
an  invincible  impediment  to  its  success. 

If  we  connect  this  article  with  the  preceding,  we  shall 
perceive  that  they  combine  into  one  strong  proof  of  the 
genuineness  of  the  epistle.  The  preceding  article  caiTies 
up  the  date  of  the  epistle  to  the  time  of  St.  Paul ;  the  pres- 
ent article  fixes  the  publication  of  it  to  the  church  of  Thes- 
salonica. Either  therefore  the  church  of  Thessalonica 
V7as  imposed  upon  by  a  false  epistle,  which-  in  St.  Paul's 
lifetime  they  received  and  re;^d  publicly  as  liis,  carrying  on 
a  communication  with  him  all  the  while,  and  the  €pi-:tle 
referring  to  the  continuance  of  that  communication  j  or 


TO    THE    THES&ALrONlANS.  165 

Other  Christian  churches  in  the  sanae  lifetime  of  the  apos- 
tle, received  an  epistle  purporting  to  have  been  publicljr 
read  in  the  church  of  Thessalonica,.  which  nevertheless 
had  not  been  heard  of  in  that  church  ;  or  lastly,  the  con- 
clusion remains,  that  the  epistl,^  ups^f  in^^f^^  h^ds  is  gen- 
uine. yi.^,i  xicKud::  -lii 

No.  III. 

Between  our  epistle  and  the  history  the  accordancy  in 
many  points  is  circumstantial  and  complete.  The  history 
relates,  that  after  Paul  and  Silas  had  been  beaten  with  ma- 
ny stripes  at  Philippi,  shut  up  in  the  inner  prison,  and 
their  feet  made  fast  in  the  stocks,  as  soon  as  they  were 
discliarged  from  their  confinement  they  departed  from 
thence,  and,  when  they  had  passed  through  Aniphipolis 
and  Apolonia,  came  to  Thessalonica,  where  Paul  opened 
and  alleged  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ,  Acts  xvi.  23,  8ic, 
The  epistle  written  in  the  name  of  Paul  and  Sylvanus 
(Silas),  and  of  Timotheus,  who  also  appears  to  have  been 
along  with  them  at  Philippi,  (vide  Phil.  No.  iv.)  speaks 
to  the  church  of  Thessalonica  thus.  "  Even  after  that  we 
"  had  suffered  before,  and  were  shamefully  entreated,  as 
"  ye  know,  at  Philippi,  we  were  bold  in  our  God  to  speak 
**  unto  you  the  gospel  of  God  with  much  contention,'* 
(ii.  21). 

The  history  relates,  that  after  they  had  been  some  time 
at  Thessalonica,  "  the  Jews  who  believed  not  set  all  the 
'•^clty  In  an  uproar,  and  assaulted  the  house  of  Jason  where 
"  Paul  and  Silas  were,  and  sought  to  bring  them  out  to 
**  the  people.'*  Acts  x,vi!.  5.  The  epistle  declares,  "  when 
"  we  were  with  you,  we  told  you  bofbre  that  we  should 
*'  suffer  tribulation  ;  even  as  it  came  to  pass,  and  ye  knoiv,^^ 
(iii.  4.) 

The  history  brings  Paul  and  Silas  and  Timothy  togeth- 
er at  Corinth,  seon  after  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  at 
Theesalonica.  "  And  when  Silas  and  Timotheus  were 
«  come  from  Macedonia  (to  Corinth),  Paul  was  pressed  in 


l66  THE  FIRST    EPISTLE 

<■'  i  .  '  ■'       ■'-   '  — 

"  spirit."  Acts  xviii.  5.  The  epistle  is  written  in  the 
name  of  these  three  persons,  who  consequently  must  have 
been  together  at  the  time,  and  speaks  throughout  of  their 
ministy  at  Thessalonica  as  a  recent  transaction.  ;**  We 
**  brethren,  being  taken  from  yoit  for  a  short  time,  in  presence 
"  not  in  heart,  endeavoured  the  more  abuiidanly  to  see 
"your  face,  v/ith  great  desire."  (ii.  17). 
J. yhe  harmony  is  indubitable  ;  but  the  points  of  history 
in  which  it  consists,  are  so  expressly  set  forth  in  the  narra- 
tive, and  so  directly  referred  to  in  the  epistle,  that  it  be- 
comes necessary  for  us  to  shew,  that  the  facts  in  one  Writ- 
ing were  not  copied  from  the  other.  Now  amidst  some 
minute  discrepancies,  which  will  be  noticed  below,  there 
is  one  circumstance  which  mixes  itself  with  all  the  allusions 
in  the  epistle,  but  does  not  appear  in  the  histo- 
ry any  where ;  and  that  is  of  a  visit  which  St.  Paul 
had  intended  to  pay  to  the  Thessalonians  during  the 
time  of  his  residing  at  Corinth.  Wherefore  we  would 
*'  have  come  unto  you  (even  I  Paul}  once  and  again,' but 
**  Satan  hixdcred  us."  (ii.  1.)  "  Night  and  day  praying 
"  exceedingly  that  we  might  see  your  face,  and  might  per- 
**  feet  that  which  is  lacking  in  your  faith.  Now  God  him- 
**  self  and  our  Father,  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  direct 
"  our  way  unto  you,"  (iii.  10,  11).  Concerning  a  design 
which  was  not  executed,  although  the  person  himself  who 
was  conscious  of  his  own  purpose,  should  make  mention 
in^^  his,  letters,  nothing  is  more  probable  than  that  his  his- 
torian should  be  silent,  if  not  ignorant.  The  au- 
thor of  the  epistle  « could  not  however  have  learnt 
this  circumstance  from  the  history,  for  it  is  not  there 
to  be  met.  with ;. nor,  if  the  historian  had  drawn  his 
materials  from  the  epistle„  i$  it  likely  that  he  would  have 
passed  over  a  circumstance,  which  is  amongst  the  most 
obvious  and  prominent  of  the  facts  to  be  collected  from 
thatSQUrce  of  information. 


TO    THE    THFSSALONIANS. 

■^  .Ijivx  a. 
No,  IF, 


167 


Chap.  iiK  1-^7.  «•  Wherefore  when  we  could  no  long. 
"  er  forbear,  we  thought  It  good  to  be  left  at  Athens  alone, 
«*  and  sent  Timotheus,our  brother  and  minister  of  God,  to 
"  establish  you,  and  to  comfort  you  concerning  your  fai'th  • 
«  but  now  when  Timotheus  came  from  you  unto  us,  and 
"  brought  us  good  tidings  of  your  faith  and  charity,  we 
"  were  comforted  over  you  in  all  our  affliction  and  dis. 
"tress  by  your  faith." 

5,3;he  history  relates,  that  when  Paul  came  out  of  Mace- 
donui  to  Athens,  Silas  and  Timothy  staid  behind  at  Be 
rea.     «  The  brethren  sent  away  Paul  to  go  as  it  were  to 
the  sea;  but  Silas  and  Timotheus  abode  there  still ;  and 
"they  that  conducted  Paul  brought  him  to  Athens'' 
^cts,  ch  .vi:    14,  15.      The  history  further  relates,  that 
alter  Paul  had  tamed  some  time  at  Athens,  and  had  pro. 
ceeded  from  thence  to  Corinth,  whilst  he  was  exercising 
his  ministry  in  that  city,  Silas  and  Timothy  came  to  him 
from  Macedonia,  Acts,  chap,  xviii.  5.     But  to  rconcile  the 
liistory  with  the  clause  in  the  epistle  which  makes  St.  Paul 
s^ay,  «  I  thought  it  good  to  be  left  at  Athens  alone,  and 
to  send  Timothy  unto  you,"   it  is  necessary  to  suppose 
tliat  lunothy  had  come  up  with  St.  Paul  at  Athens ;  a 
circumstance  which  the  history  does  not  mention.     I  re- 
mark therefore,  that,  although  the  history  do  not  expressly 
notice  tliis  arrival,  yet  it  contains  intimations  which  render 
It. extremely  probable  that  the  fact  took  place.     First,  as 
soon  as  Paul  had  reached  Athens,  he  sent  a  message  back 
to  Silas  and  Timothy  «  for  to  come  to  him  with  all  speed.'* 
Acts,  chap.  xvii.  15.       Secondly,  his  stay  at  Athens  was 
on  purpose  that  they  miglit  join  him  there.     «'  Nov/  whilst 
"  Paul  waited  for  them  at  Athens,  his  spirit  was  stirred  in 
"  Iiim."      Acts,  chap.  xvii.  16.     Thirdly,  his  departure 
from  Athens  docs  not  appear  to  have  been  in  any  sort 
hastened  cr  abrupt.     It  is  said,  «  after  these  things,"  viz. 


,^8  TH5    FIRST    EPISTLE 

his  disputation  with  the  Jews,  his  conferences  with  the  phi. 
losophers,  his  discourse  at  Areopagus,  and  the  gaining  of 
some   converts,  "  he  departed  from  Athens  and  came 
«  to  Corinth."    It  is  not  hinted  that  he  quitted  Athens  be- 
fore the  time  that  he  had  intended  to  leave  it ;    it  is  not 
suggested  that  he  was  driven  from  thence,  as  hewastrom 
many  cities,  by  tumults  or  persecutions,  or  because  his 
life  was  no  longer  safe.      Observe  then  the  particulars 
which  the  history  does  notice  ;  that  Paul  had  t)rdered  Tim- 
othy to  follow  him  without  delay  ;  that  lie  waited  at  A- 
thens  on  purpose  that  Timothy  might  come  up  with  him  ; 
that  he  staid  there  as  long  as  his  own  choice  led  him  to 
continue.     Laying  these  circumstances  which  the  history 
does  disclose  together,  it  is  highly  probable  that  Timothy 
came  to  the  apostle  at  Athens,  a  fact  which  the  epistle, 
we  have  seen,  virtually  asserts  when  it  makes  Paul  send 
Timothy  back  from  Athens  to  Thessalonica.      The  smd- 
Ing  back  of  Timothy  Into  Macedonia  accounts  also  fof  his  not 
not  coming  to  Corinth  till  after  Paul  had  been  fixed  in 
that  city  for  some  considerable  time.      Paul  had  found 
out  Aquila  and  Priscilla,  abode  with  them  and  wrought, 
being  of  the  same  craft ;    and  reasoned  in  the  synagogue 
every  sabbath  day,  and  persuaded  the  Jews  and  the  Greeks, 
Acts.  chap,  xvlii.   1-5.     All  this  passed  at  Corinth  be- 
fore Silas  and  Timotheus  were  come  from  Macedoma, 
Acts,  chap,  xviii.  5.      If  this  was  the  first  time  of  their 
coming  up  with  him  after  their  separation  at  Berea,  there 
is  nothing  to  account  for  a  delay  so  contrary  to  what  ap- 
pears from  the  history  itself  to  have  been  St.  Paul's  plan 
and  expectation.     This  is  a  conformity  of  a  peculiar  spe- 
pies.      The  epistle  discloses  a  fact  which  is  not  preserved 
in  the  history  ;  but  which  makes  what  is  said  in  the  h'lsto- 
ry  more  significant,  probable,  and  consistent.     The  history 
bears  marks  of  an  omission ;    the  epistle  by  reference  fur^ 
nishes  a  circumstance  which  supplies  that  omission. 


TO    THE    TH2SSAL0NIANS.  I^^ 


No.  V, 


Chap.  ii.  14.  "  For  ye,  brethren,  became  followers  of 
**  the  churches  of  God  which  in  Judea  are  in  Christ  Jesus  ; 
*'  for  ye  also  have  suffered  like  things  of  your  own  country^ 
«  men,  even  as  they  have  of  the  Jews." 

To  a  reader  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  It  might  seem 
at  fiist  sight,  that  the  persecutions  which  the  preachers  axd 
converts  of  Christianity  underwent,  were  suffered  at  the 
hand  of  their  old  adversaries  the  Jews.  But,  if  we  attend 
carefully  to  the  accounts  there  delivered,  we  shall  observe 
that,  though  the  opposition  made  to  the  gospel  usually 
originated  from  the  enmity  of  the  Jews,  yet  in  almost  all 
places  the  Jews  went  about  to  accomplish  their  purpose, 
by  stirring  up  the  Gentile  inhabitants  against  their  con- 
verted countrymen.  Out  of  Judea  they  had  not  power  to 
do  much  mischief  in  any  other  way.  This  was  the  case 
at  Thessalonica  in  particular.  "  The  Jews  which  belicv- 
**  ed  not,  moved  with  envy,  set  all  the  city  In  an  uproar." 
Acts,  ch.  xvii.  5.  It  was  the  same  a  short  time  after- 
wards at  Berea.     "  WHien  the  Jews  of  Thessalonica  had 

' . ,  **  knowledge  that  the  word  of  God  was  preached  of  Paul 
"  at  Berea,  they  came  thither  also,and  stiiTed  up  the  peo- 
"  pie."     Acts,  ch.  xvii.  13.     And  before  this  our  apostle 

\ '  tiad  met  with  a  like  species  of  persecution.  In  his  progress 
through  the  Lesser  Asia ;  **  in  every  city  the  unbelievin^r 
«*  Jews  stliTed  up  the  Gentiles,  and  made  their  minds  evil 
«  affected  against  the  brethren."  Acts,  ch.  xiv.  2.  The 
epistle  therefore  represents  the  case  accurately  as  the  his- 
tory states  it.  It  was  the  Jews  always  who  set  on  foot  the 
perscutions  against  the  apostles  and  their  followers.  He 
speaks  truly  therefore  of  them  when  he  says  in  this  epistle, 
«'  they  both  killed  the  Lord  Jesus  and  their  ov/n  pro^hets, 
"  and  have  persi^cuted  us  ;  forbidding  us  to  speak  unto  the 
"  Geatiles.  (ii.  15,  16).  But  oat  of  Juvien  it  r«/^g  at  the 
Lands  of  the  Gentiles,  it  was  ^'-  of  their  own  countrymen,'^ 
F 


Si 


t'JO  THE  FIRST    EPISTLE 

that  the  injuries  ther  underwent  were  Immediately  sustain- 
ed. "  Ye  have  suiFered  hke  things  of  your  own  countrymen, 
**  even  as  tliey  have  of  the  Jews." 

No.  VL 

The  apparent  disci  epancles  between  our  epistle  and  the 
histoiy,  though  of  magnitude  sufficient  to  repel  the  Impu- 
tation of  confederacy  or  transcription  (in  which  view  they 
form  a  part  of  our  argum.ent),  are  neither  numerous,  nor 
■very  dllFicult  to  reconcile. 

One  of  these  may  be  observed  in  the  ninth  and  tenth 
verses  of  the  second  chapter.  *'  For  ye  remember,  breth- 
**  ren,  our  labor  and  travel ;  for  laboring  night  and  day 
**  because  we  would  not  be  chargeable  unto  any  of  you,  we 
•*  preached  unto  you  the  gospel  of  God.  Ye  are  witnes- 
*•  ses,  and  God  also,  how  holily,  and  justly,  and  unblame- 
**  ably  we  behaved  ourselves  among  you  that  believe." 
A  person  who  reads  this  passage  is  naturally  led  by  it  to 
suppose,  that  the  writer  had  dwelt  at  Thessalonica  for 
some  considerable  time  ;  yet  of  St.  Pau?s  ministry  in  that 
city,  the  history  gives  no  other  account  than  the  following ; 
**  that  he  came  to  Thessalonica,  where  was  a  synagogue 
<«  of  the  Jews ;  that,  as  his  manner  was,  he  went  in  unto 
*•  them,  and  three  sabbath  days  reasoned  witli  them  out  of 
"  the  Scriptures  ;  that  some  of  them  believed  and  consort- 
'*  ed  with  Paul  and  Silas,'*  The  history  then  proceeds 
to  tell  us,  that  the  Jews  which  believed  not  set  the  city  in 
an  uproar,  and  assaulted  the  house  of  Jason,  where  Paul 
^nd  his  companions  lodged  ;  that  the  consequence  of  this 
outrage  was,  that  "  the  brethren  immediately  sent  away 
<«  Paul  and  Silas  by  night  unto  Berea."  Acts,  cb.  xvii. 
I — lo.  From  the  mention  of  his  preaching  three  sabbath 
days  in  the  Jewish  synagogue,  and  from  tlie  want  of  any 
further  specification  of  his  ministry,  it  has  usually  been  tak. 
en  for  granted  that  Paul  did  not  continue  at  Thessalonica 
more  than  three  weeks.  This,  however,  is  inferred  with- 
Oiitiieeessity.   It  appears  to  have  been  St.  Paul's  practice, 


TO    THE    THESSALONIANS.  171' 

In  almost  every  place  that  he  came  to,  upon  his  first  arrival 
to  repair  to  the  synagogue.  He  thought  himself  bound 
to  propose  the  gospel  to  the  Jews  Jirst,  agreeably  to  what 
he  declared  at  Antioch  in  Pisidia  ;  "  it  was  necessary 
*'  that  the  word  of  God  should  first  have  been  spoken  to 
"  you."  Acts,  ch.  xili.  46.  If  the  Jews  rejected  his  min- 
istry, he  quitted  the  synagogue,  and  betook  himself  to  a,. 
Gentile  audience.  At  Corinth,  upon  his  first  coming 
thither,  he  reasoned  in  the  synagogue  every  sabbath  ;  *'  but 
"  when  the  Jews  opposed  themselves,  and  blasphem.ed, 
*'  he  departed  thence,'*  expressly  telling  them,  "  from 
"  henceforth  I  will  go  unto  the  Gentiles ;  and  he  remain- 
*•  ed  in  that  city  a  year  and  six  months.**  Acts,  ch.xviii, 
6 — II.  At  Ephesus,  in  like  manner;  for  the  space  of 
three  months  he  went  into  the  synagogue  ;  but  "  when  di« 
«  vers  were  hardened  and  believed  not,  but  spake  evil  of 
"  that  way,  he  departed  from  them  and  separated  the  dis- 
"  ciples,  disputing  daily  in  the  school  of  one  Tyrannus  ; 
**  and  this  continued  by  the  space  of  two  years.**  Acts, 
ch.  xix.  9,  10.  Upon  inspecting  the  history,  I  see  noth-i 
ing  in  it  which  negatives  the  supposition,  that  St.  Paul 
pursued  the  same  plan  at  Thessalonica  \vhich  he  adopted 
in  other  places ;  and  that,  though  he  resorted  to  the  syna* 
gogue  only  three  sabbath  days,  yet  he  remained  in  the  city 
and  in  the  exercise  of  his  ministry  amongst  the  Gentile 
citizens,  much  longer  ^  and  until  die  success  of  his  preach- 
ing had  provoked  the  Jews  to  excite  the  tumult  and  in- 
surrection by  which  he  was  driven  away. 

Another  seeming  discrepancy  is  found  in  the  ninth  versa 
of  the  first  chapter  of  the  epistle.  For  they  themselves 
shovv'  of  us  "  what  manner  of  entering  in  v/e  had  unto  you, 
"  and  how  ye  turned  to  God  from  idols  to  serve  the  living 
*•  and  true  God.'*  This  text  contains  an  assertion,  that, 
by  means  of  St.  Paul's  ministry  at  Thessalonica,  many 
idolatrous  Gentiles  had  been  brought  over  to  Christianity, 
Yet  the  history,  in  describing  the  effects  of  that  ministry, 
only  says,  that «  some  of  the  Jews  believed,  and  of  the  de- 


,17-  THt    FIRST    EPISTLB 

<'  vout  Greeks  a  great  multitude,  and  cf  the  chief  women 
*' not  a  few."  (ch.  xvii.  4.)  The  devout  Greeks  were 
these  who  already  worshipped  the  one  true  God ;  and 
ilierefore  could  not  be  said,  by  embracing  Christianity, 
*'  to  be  turned  to  God  from  idols." 

This  is  the  difficulty.  The  answer  may  be  assisted  by 
the  following  observations.  The  Alexandrian  and  Cam- 
bridge manuscripts  read  (for  rav  <nZc^ivay  IhMvuv  -ttoAw 
9rA>j^o$)  ruv  Fioouivav  Ksti  Iaa>)v&>v  ^roAy  7r>iii6og»  In  which  read- 
ing they  are  also  confirmed  by  the  Vulgate  Latin.  And 
tliis  reading  is,  in  my  opinion,  strongly  supported  by  the 
considerations,  first,  that  ot  cnZof^ivci  alone,  i.  e.  without  Ia- 
Mvis,  is  used  in  this  sense  in  this  same  chapter — Paul  be- 
ing come  to  Athens  ^aXiyira  iv  tj7  cryvisywyji  roig  la'^cciot?  xui 
toig  G-i^of/^voig  i  secondly,  that  (n<,oy.vm  and  lAAr^vsj  no  where 
come  together.  The  expression  is  redundant.  The  0*  o-£- 
(^ofcivt  must  be  lAAjjve^.  Thirdly,  that  the  xca  is  much 
more  likely  to  have  been  left  out  incuria  manus  than  to 
have  been  put  in.  Or,  after  all,  if  we  be  not  allowed  to 
cliange  the  present  reading,  which  is  undoubtedly  re- 
tained by  a  great  plurality  of  copies,  may  not  the  passage 
in  the  history  be  considered  as  describing  only  the  effects 
of  St.  PauPs  discourses  during  the  three  sabbath  days  ia 
which  he  preached  in  the  synagogue  ?  and  may  it  not  be 
true,  as  w^e  have  remarked  above,  that  his  application  ta 
the  Gentiles  at  large,  and  his  success  amongst  them,  was 
posterior  to  tl^.is  ? 


CHAP.  X, 

THE  SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  TIH 
THESSALONIANS. 

No.  L 

It  may  seem  odd  to  allege  obscnrity  itself  as  an 
argument,  or  to  draw  a  proof  in  favor  of  a  writing,  from 
that  which  is  usually  considered  as  the  principal  defect  in 
its  composition.     The  present  epistle,  however,  furnishes  a 
passage,  hitherto  unexplained,  and  probably  inexplicable 
by  us,  the  existence  of  which,  under  the  darkness  and  dif- 
ficulties that  attend  it,  can  only  be  accounted  for  upon  the 
supposition  of  the  epistle  being  genuine  ;    and  upon  that 
s^ipposition  is  accounted  for  with  great  ease.     The  passage 
which  I  allude  to  is  in  the  second  chapter.      "  That  day 
**  shall  not  come,  except  there  come  a  falling  away  first, 
*'  and  that  man  of  sin  be  revealed,  the  son  of  perdition, 
**  who  opposeth  and  exalteth  himself  above  all  that  iscal- 
♦*  led  God,  or  that  is  worshipped ;  so  that  he  as  God  sit- 
"  teth  in  the  temple  of  God,   shewing  himself  that  he  is 
"  God.     Remember  ye  not  that  when  I  WAS  YtT  with' 
"  YOU  I  TOLD  YOU    THESE  THINGS?    And  no'w  ye  hfiow 
"  luhat  ivtthholdeth,  that  he  mght  be  revealed  in  his  time  i  for 
"  the  mystery  of  iniquity  doth  already  work,  only  he  that 
**  nonv  ktteth  iviU  let,  until  he  be  taken  out  of  the  way  ;    and; 
•*  then  shall  that  wicked  be  revealed,  whom  the  Lord  shall 
**  consume  with  the  spirit  of  his  mouth,  and  shall  destroy 
**  with  the  brightness  of  his  coming."      It  were  superflu- 
ous  to  prove,  because  it  is  in  vain  to  deny,  that  this  passage 
is  involved  in  great  obscurity,  more  especially  the  clauses 
disthiguished  by  Italics.     Nov/  the  observation  I  have  to 
offer  is  founded  upon  this,  that  the  passage  expressly  re-, 
fers  to  a  conversation  which  the  author  had  previously 

holdca  v/ith  the  Thessalonians  upoa  the  same  subject 
Pa  ^ 


174  THE    SECOND    EPISTLE 

"  Remember  ye  not,  that  when  I  was  yet  with  you  /  told 
*'  you  these  things  ?  And  now  ye  hnonu  what  withholdeth.'* 
If  such  conversation  actually  passed  ;  if,  whilst  he  was  yet 
with  them,  "  he  told  them  those  things,"  then  it  follows 
that  the  epistle  is  authentic.  And  of  the  reality  of  this 
conversation  it  appears  to  be  a  proof,  that  what  it  said  in 
the  epistle  might  be  understood  by  those  who  had  been 
present  to  such  conversation,  and  yet  be  incapable  of 
being  explained  by  any  other.  No  man  writes  unintelli^ 
gibly  on  purpose.  But  It  may  easily  happen,  that  a  part 
of  a  letter  which  relates  to  a  subject,  upon  which  the  par- 
ties had  conversed  together  before,  which  refers  to  what 
had  been  before  said,  which  is  In  truth  a  portion  or  con- 
tinuation of  a  former  discourse^  may  be  utterly  without 
meaning  to  a  stranger,  who  should  pick  up  the  letter  up- 
on the  road,  and  yet  be  perfectly  clear  to  the  person  ta 
who  m  It  Is  directed,  and  with  w^hom  the  previous  com- 
munication had  passed.  And  If,  In  a  letter  which  thus 
accidentally  fell  into  my  hands,  I  found  a  passage  express-. 
ly  referring  to  a  former  conversation,  and  difficult  to  be 
explained  without  knowing  that  conversation,  I  should  con-- 
sider  this  very  difficulty  as  a  proof  that  the  conversation 
had  actually  passed,  and  consequently  tliat  the  letter  con- 
tained the  real  correspondence  of  real  persons. 

No.  IL 

Chap.  ill.  8.  "  Neither  did  we  eat  any  man's  bread 
**  for  nought,  but  wrought  with  labor  night  and  day,  that 
«*  we  might  not  be  charp-eable  to  any  of  you ;  not  because' 
**  we  have  not  power,  but  to  make  ourselves  an  ensamiple 
<*  unto  you  to  follow.'* 

In  a  letter,  pifr porting  to  have  been  written  to  another 
of  the  Macedonic  churches,  we  find  the  following  decla- 
ration. ,;- .,3^  >^ 

<*  Now  ye,  Phillpplans,  know  also  that  In  the  begin!- 
*<  jiing  of  the  gospel,  when  I  departed  from  Macedonia,  ««, 


TO    THE    THESSALONIANS.  l'Jf( 

**  church  communicated  with  me  as  concernivg  giv'wg  andreceiv* 
**  ingy  hut  ye  only." 

The  conformity  between  these  two  passages  is  strong 
and  plain.  They  confine  the  transaction  to  the  same  pe- 
riod. The  epistle  to  the  Phillppians  refers  to  what  pas- 
sed *'  in  the  beginning  of  the  gospel,"  that  is  to  say,  during 
the  first  preaching  of  the  gospel  on  that  side  of  the  iEgeaii 
sea.  The  epistle  to  the  Thessalonians  speaks  of  the  apostle*s 
conduct  in  that  city  upon  *'  his  first  entrance  in  unto  them," 
which  the  history  informs  us  was  in  the  course  of  his  first 
visit  to  the  peninsula  of  Greece. 

As  St.  Paul  tells  the  Philippians,  **  that  no  church  com- 
**  municated  with  him,  as  concerning  giving  and  receiv- 
•'  ing,  but  they  only,"  he  could  not  consistently  with  the 
truth  of  this  declaration,  have  received  any  thing  from  the 
neighbouring  church  of  Thessalonica.  What  thus  ap- 
pears by  general  implication  in  an  epistle  to  another  churchy 
when  he  writes  to  the  Thessalonians  themselves,  is  noticed 
expressly  and  particularly ;  "  neither  did  we  eat  any  man's 
«  bread  for  nought,  but  wrought  night  and  day,  that  we 
•*  might  not  be  chargeable  to  any  of  you." 

The  texts  here  cited  further  also  exhibit  a  mark  of  con- 
formity with  what  St.  Paul  is  made  to  say  of  himself  in 
the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  The  apostle  not  only  reminds 
the  Thessalonians  that  he  had  not  been  chargeable  to  any 
of  them,  but  he  states  likewise  the  motive  v/hich  dictated 
^this  reserve ;  **  not  because  we  have  not  power,  but  to 
'«f  make  ourselves  an  ensample  unto  you  to  follow  us." 
(ch.  iii.  9.)  This  conduct  and,  what  is  much  more  pre- 
cise, the  end  which  he  had  in  view  by  it,  was  the  very 
'^ttife  as  that  which  the  history  attributes  to  St.  Paul  in  a 
discourse,  which  it  represents  him  to  have  addressed  to 
the  elders  of  the  church  of  Ephesus.  "  Yea,  ye  yoursc-lv-es 
«.*  also  know  that  these  hands  have  ministered  unto  my  ne- 
"  cessities,  and  to  them  that  were  with  me.  I  have  shozu- 
**  edjou  all  things,  how  that  so  laboting  ye  ought  to  support 
f't.be  lueai:^      Acts,  ch.  xx.  34.      The  sentiment  in  the 


IJ$  THE    SECOND    BRISTLE 

epistle  and  in  the  speech  is  in  both  parts  of  it  so  ittucb 
alike,  and  yet  the  words  which  convey  it  show  so  lit- 
tle of  imitation  or  even  of  resemblance,  that  the  agree- 
ment cannot  well  be  explained  without  supposing  the 
speech  and  the  letter  to  have  really  proceeded  from  the 
same  person. 

No.  IIL 

Our  reader  remembers  the  passage  in  the  First  Epistle 
to  the  Thessalonians,  in  which  St.  Paul  spoke  of  the  com- 
ing of  Christ.      "  This  we  say  unto  you  by  the  word  of 
"  the  Lord,  that  we  which  aie  alive,  and  remain  unto  the 
"  coming  of  the  Lord,  shall  not  prevent  them  which   are 
**  asleep  ;  for  the  Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  heaven, 
"  and  the  dead   in  Christ  sliall  rise  first ;    then  we  which 
"  are  alive  and  remain,  shall  be  caught  up  together  with 
"  them  in  the  clouds,   and  so  shall  we  be  ever  with  the 
"  Lord.     But  ye,  brethren,  are  not  in  darkness,  that  that 
**  day  should  overtake  you  as  a  thitf."      i  Tliess,  iv.  15 
— 17,  and  ch.  v.  4.     It  should  seem  that  the  Thessaloni- 
ans, or  some  however  amongst  them,  had  from  this  pas- 
sage conceived  an  opinion  (and  that  not  very  unnaturally) 
that  the  coming  of  Christ  was  to  take  place  instantly,  ort 
ivis-T-^y^cv  j*  and  that  this  persuasion  had  produced,  as  it 
well  might,  much  agitation  in  the  church.     The  apostle 
therefore  now  write.?,  amongst  other  purposes,  to  quietv 
this  alarm,  and  to  rectify  the  misconstruction  tJiat  hadq 
been  put  upon  his  words.     **  Now  we.  beseech  you,  breth,Tr{ 
"  ren,  by  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  by  our 
"  gathering  together  unlo  him,  that  ye  be  not  soon  shakep^^ 
"  in  mind,  orbe  trdliblfe'dneFther  by  spirit,  nor  by  word,  ncrr. 
^^  hyhner'asjroni  '       -'?eday  of  Chiist  is  at  hand.'*  ; 

If  the  allusiof-'.  -  id  for  be  admitted,  namely, 

if  It  be  iiil:  •  =age  in  the  second  epistle  re- 

*  'Ormncnm^it,  jaeui^i^  Hqc  Rni^£»,'8ays  Girotius,  ?v?7Tjjx£y  hlq^- 
ckurji9vC8ijp?3588itjf.'iit-.lP^;j,v/i^,.^S^Jj-Cor,  iii.  a  a.  CA.  1,4,  Hebr 
ix.  9c 


TO    THE    THESSALONIANS.  1>^<J 

lates  to  the  passage  in  the  first,  it  amounts  to  a  considera- 
ble proof  of  the  genuineness  of  both  epistles.  I  have  no 
conception,  because  I  know  no  example,  of  such  a  device 
in  a  forgery,  as  first  to  frame  an  ambiguous  passage  in  a 
letter,  then  to  represent  the  persons  to  vi'liom  the  letter  is 
addressed  as  mistaking  tlie  meaning  of  tlie  passage,  and 
lastly,  to  write  a  second  letter  in  ordei  to  correct  this  mis- 
take. 

I  have  said  that  this  argument  arises  out  of  the  text,  if 
the  allusion  be  admitted  ;  for  I  am  not  ignorant  that  ma- 
ny expositors  understand  the  passage  in  the  second  epistle 
as  referring  to  some  forged  letters,  which  had  been  pro- 
duced in  St.  PauPs  name,  and  in  which  the  apostle  had  - 
been  made  to  say  that  the  coming  of  Christ  was  then  at 
hand.  In  defence,  however,  of  the  explanation  which  we 
propose,  the  reader  is  desired  to  observe, 

1.  The  strong  fact,  that  there  exists  a  passage  in  the 
first  epistle,  to  which  that  in  the  second  is  capable  of  be- 
ing referred,  i.  e.  which  accounts  for  the  error  the  writer 
is  solicitous  to  remove.  Had  no  other  epistle  than  the 
second  been  extant,  and  had  it  under  these  circumstances 
come  to  be  considered,  whether  the  text  before  us  related  to 
a  forged  epistle  or  to  some  misconstruction  of  a  true  one, 
many  conjectures  and  many  probabiHties  might  have  been 
admitted  in  tlie  inquiry,  which  can  have  little  weight 
when  an  epistle  is  produced,  containing  the  very  sort  of 
passage  we  were  seeking,  that  is,  a  passage  liable  to  the 
misinterpretation  which  the  apostle  protests  against. 

2.  That  tlie  clause  Vv^hich  introduces  the  passage  in  the 
second  epistle  bears  a  particular  affinity  to  what  is  found 
in  the  passage  cited  from  the  first  epistle.  The  clause  is 
this.  "  We  beseech  you,  brethren,  by  the  coming  of  our 
**  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  l)y  our  gathering  together  unto  him," 
Now  in  tlie  first  epistle  the  description  of  the  coming  of 
Christ  is  accompanied  with  the  mention  of  this  very  cir- 
cumstance of  his  saints  "being  collected  round  him." 
"  The  Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  heaven  with  a 


I'jS  '    THE    SECOND    EPISTLE 

**  shout,with  the  voice  of  the  aichaiigel,aTid  with  the  triimp 
**  of  God,  and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first ;  then  we 
"  which  are  alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught  up  togeth- 
**  er  with  them  in  the  clouds,  io  ined  the  Lord  in  the  air."  i 
Thess.  chap.  iv.  16,  17.  This  I  suppose  to  be  the  "gath- 
**  cring  together  unto  him"  intended  in  the  second  epistle; 
and  that  the  author,  when  he  used  these  words,  retained 
in  his  thoughts  what  he  had  written  on  the  subject  before. 

3.  The  second  epistle-  is  written  in  the  joint  name  of 
Paul,  Silvanus,  and  Timotheus,  and  it  cautions  the  Thes- 
salonians  against  being  misled  "  by  letter  as  from  us  (&•$ 
5/  jj^y).  Do  not  these  words  *  ^i  r/t^av,'  appropriate  the 
reference  te  some  writing  which  bore  the  name  of  these 
three  teachers  ?  Now  this  circumstance,  which  is  a  very 
close  one,  belongs  to  the  epistle  at  present  in  our  hands  j 
for  the  epistle  which  we  call  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Thes- 
salonians  contains  these  names  in  its  superscription. 

4.  The  words  in  the  original,  as  far  as  they  are  material 
to  be  stated,  are  these  ;  g<?  to  f^a  rot^wg  a-etXsvhivcn  vf^fi?  aira 

^i  iTTia-roXT)^,  cog  ^i  y,^m,  aq  on  tyivrnx.iv  ri  ^t^cc  ra  X^fffvs. 
Under  the  weight  of  the  preceding  observations  may  not 
the  words  /tsgre  ^<«6  Aeys.  ^»)T6  h'  iTria-roM^i  a)$  h'  »f^<w)',  be 
construed  to  signify  quasi  nos  quid  tale  aut  dixeritnus  aut 
j^r//>jmw«j,*  intimating  that  their  words  had  been  mistak- 
en, and  thatthey  had  in  truth  said  or  written  no  such  thing. 

*  Should  a  contrary  interpretation  be  preferred,  I  do  not  think  that 
It  implies  the  conclusion  that  a  false  epistle  had  then  been  published 
in  the  apostle's  name.  It  will  completely  satisfy  the  allusion  in  the 
text  to  allow,  that  some  one  or  other  at  Thessalonica  had  pretend- 
ed to  have  been  told  by  St.  Paul  and  his  companions,  or  to  have  seen 
a  letter  from  them,  in  which  they  had  said,  that  the  day  of  Christ  was 
at  hand.  In  like  manner  as  Acts  xv.  i,  ^4.  it  is  recorded  that  some 
had  pretended  to  have  received  instructions  from  the  church  at  Jeru- 
salem, which  had  not  been  received  "  to  whom  they  gave  no  such  ccm-i 
«  mandment."  And  thus  Dr.  Benson  interpreted  the  passage  (W>IT« 
B'^oiia-$eci,  f/^nn  ^m,  ^vsVjttarfl?,  /t«sr£  ^icc  Acyy,  jt«y;T8  ai  £7r<roAj5?, 
«;  ^i  fi{icm  «  nor  be  dismayed  by  any  revelation, or  discourse,  or  epis- 
<♦  tie,  which  any  one  shall  pretend  to  have  heard  or  received  from  vh" 


CHAP.  XL 

THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  TIMOTHY. 

X  ROM  the  third  verse  of  the  first  chapter,  "  a$ 
<«  I  besought  thee  to  abide  still  at  Ephesus  when  I  went  in- 
**  to  Macedonia,"  it  is  evident  that  this  Epistle  was  writ- 
ten soon  after  St.  Paul  had  gone  to  Macedonia  from  Ephe- 
sus. Dr.  Benson  fixes  its  date  to  the  time  of  St.  Paul's 
journey,  recorded  in  the  beginning  of  the  twentieth  chap- 
ter of  the  Acts.  "  And  after  the  uproar  (excited  by  De« 
*'  metrius  at  Ephesus)  was  ceased,  Paul  called  unto  him 
*'  the  disciples,  and  embraced  them,  and  departed  for  to 
"  go  into  Macedonia."  And  in  this  opinion  Dr.  Benson 
is  followed  by  Michaelis,  as  he  was  preceded  by  the  great- 
er part  of  the  commentators  who  have  considered  the  ques- 
tion. There  is,  however,  one  objection  to  tlie  hypothesis, 
which  these  learned  men  appear  to  me  to  have  overlook- 
ed ;  and  it  is  no  other  than  this,  that  the  superscription  of 
the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corintliians  seems  to  prove,  that 
at  the  time  St.  Paul  is  supposed  by  them  to  have  v^-itten 
this  Epistle  to  Timothy,  Timothy  in  truth  was  with  St. 
p3ul  in  Macedonia.  Paul,  as  it  is  related  in  the  Acts, 
left  Ephesus  "  for  to  go  into  Macedonia."  When  he  had 
got  into  Macedonia  he  wrote  his  second  Epistle  to  the 
Corinthians.  Concerning  this  point  there  exists  little  va- 
riety of  opinion.  It  is  plainly  indicated  by  the  contents 
of  the  epistle.  It  is  also  strongly  implied  that  the  epistle 
was  written  soon  after  the  apostle's  arrival  in  Macedonia ; 
for  he  begins  his  letter  by  a  train  of  reflection,  referring  to 
his  persecutions  in  Asia  as  to  recent  transactions,  as  to 
dangers  from  which  he  had  lately  been  delivered.  But  in 
the  salutation  with  which  the  epistle  opens  Timothy  h  join- 
ed w'lih  Sl  Paalf  and  consequently  could  not  at  that  time 
be  <*  left  behind  at  Ephesus."    And  as  to  the  only  solu- 


f^O  THE   FIRST   EPISTLE  TO  TIMOTHY. 

tion  of  tlie  difficulty  which  can  be  thought  of^  viz.  that 
Timotliy,  though  he  was  left  behind  at  Ephesus  upon  St. 
Paul's  departure  from  Asia,  yet  might  follow  him  so 
soon  after,  as  to  come  up  with  the  apostle  in  Macedonia, 
before, he  wrote  his  epistle  to  the  Corinthians  ;  that  sup- 
position is  inconsistent  with  tlie  terms  and  tenor  of  the 
epistle  throughout.  For  the  writer  speaks  uniformly  of 
Tiis  intention  to  return  to  Timothy  at  Ephesus,  and  not  of 
'his  expecting  Timothy  to  come  to  him  in  Macedonia. 
**  These  things  write  I  unto  thee  hoping  to  come  unto  thee 
**  shortly  ;  but  if  I  tarry  long  that  thou  mayest  know  how 
"  thou  oughtest  to  behave  thyself,"  (chap.  iii.  14,  15). 
"  Till  I  come  give  attendence  to  reading,  to  exhortation,  to 
**  doctrine,"  (chap.  iv.  13). 

Since,  therefore,  the  leaving  of  Timothy  behind  at  Ephe- 
sus, wlien  Paul  went  into  Macedonia,  suits  not  with  any 
journey  into  Macedonia  recorded  in  the  Acts,  I  concur 
with  Bishop  Pearson  in  placing  the  date  of  this  epistle, 
and  tlie  journey  referred  to  in  it,  at  a  period  subsequent  to 
St.  Paul's  first  imprisonment  at  Rome,  and  consequently 
subsequent  to  the  era,  up  to  which  the  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles brings  his  history.  The  only  difficulty  which  attends 
our  opinion  is,  that  St.  Paul  must,  according  to  us,  have 
come  to  Ephesus  after  his  liberation  at  Rome,  contrary  as 
It  should  seem  to  what  he  foretold  to  the  Ephesian  elders, 
**  that  they  should  see  his  face  no  more."  And  it  is  to 
save  tlie  infallibility  of  this  prediction,  and  for  no  other 
reason  of  weight,  that  an  earlier  date  is  assigned  to  tliis 
epistle.  The  prediction  itself  however,  when  considered 
in  connection  widi  the  circumstances  under  which  it  was 
delivered,  does  not  seem  to  demand  so  much  anxiety. 
The  words  In  question  are  found  in  the  twenty  fifth  verse 
of  the  twentieth-  chapter  of  the  Acts.  And  now  behold, 
<*  I  know  that  ye  all,  among  whom  I  have  gone  preach- 
«*  ing  the  kingdom  of  God,  shall  see  my  face  no  more." 
In  the  twenty  second  and  the  twenty  third  verses  of  the 


THii    FIRST    EPISTLE    TO    'flMOTHY,  3^'^ 

ijaaic  chapter,  i.  c.   two  verses  before,   die  apostle  makes 
this  declaration.     "  And  now  behold,  i  ^o  bound  in  die 
*'  spirit   unto  Jerusalem,   not  knowing  tJie    things  diat 
*'  shall  bei'al  me  diere  ;  save  diat  the  Holy  Ghost  witness- 
*'  eth  in  every  city,  saying,    that  bonds  and  afliictions  a- 
<'  bide  me."     This    **  witnessing    of  the  Holy    Ghost" 
was  undoubtedly  prophetic  and   supernatural.      But  it 
went  no  further  than  to  fbretel  thiit  bonds  and  afflicdons 
awaited  hhn.     And  I  can  very  well  conceive,  that  this 
might  be  all  which  was  communicated  to  the  apostle  by 
extraordinary  revelation,  and  that  the  rest  was  the  conclu- 
sion of  his  own  mind,  die  desponding  inference  which  he 
drew  from  strong  and  repeated  intimations  of  approaching 
danger.      And   the  expression   *'  I  know^,"    which    St. 
Paul  here  uses,  does  not  perhaps,  when  applied  to  future 
events  aiFecting  himself,  convey  an  assertion   so  positive 
and  absolute  as  we  may  at  first  sight  apprehend.     In  the 
iirst  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Philippians  and  the 
twenty  fifth  vei-se,  "  I  know'*  says  he,    "  that  I  shall  a- 
*'  bide  and  continue  widi  you  all  for  your  joy  and  further- 
**  ance   of  faith."     Notwithstanding   this   strong  decla- 
ration,  in  die   second  chapter  and  twenty  third  verse  of 
this  same  epistle,  and  speaking   also  of  the  very   same  e- 
vent,  he  is  content  to  use  a   language  of  some  doubt  and 
uncertainty.      *'  Him  therefore  I  hope  to  send  presently, 
<'  so  soon  as  I  shall  see  hoiv  it  will  go  "jjith  me  ;  but  /  trust 
"  in  die  Lord  that  I  also  myself  shall  come  shortly." 
And  a  few  Verses  preceding  these,  he  not  only  seems  to 
doubt  of  his  safety,  but  almost  to  despair  ;  to  contem- 
plate  the  possibility  at  least  of  his  condemnation  and  mar- 
tyrdom.     "  Yea  and  if  I  be  offered  upon  the  sacrifice  and 
"  service  of  )'our  faidi,  I  joy  and  rejoice  with  you  all."  " 

No.  L 

But  can  we   show  that   St.  Paul  visited  Ephesus  after 
^is  liberation  at   Rome  ?  or  rathei',  can  we  collect  aa^ 

Q 


lS2  THE   FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  TIMOTHY. 

hin^^  from  his  other  letters  which  make  it  probable  that 
be 'did  llt^etkn,  then  we  have  a'coincidcntfe^     li  vr€' 
cannot,  w^' have  only  an  unauthorized  siippositioil,  tcfi 
Avhich  the  exigericy  of  ths   Case   compels  us  to   resoi't;^' 
How,  for  thii  ^^Jrpos^;  let  hi  fex'amine  the  Epikle  tb'^thfe^ 
P'hiHppianS  and'  the  Eplstlb  to  P^hilemon.     Th^se  tsvoe- 
pistles  purport  to  be '  Vvritten  whilst  St.  Paul  \^^as  vet  a 
prisoner  at  Rome.  Td  the  Phillppians  he  writes  as  follow^' 
«  I  triist  in  the  Lord  that  I  also  myself  shall  come  shorti- 
'•^fy.^^  '-1*0  'Philemor,  whb'wks  i  Colossian,  he  givd 
this  direction.     «  But  withal,  prepare  me  also  a  lodging^ 
"for  I  tritst  that  through  your  prayers  I  shall  be  gi\Te!i? 
•^'unto  ydu."     'An  inspection  of  the  map  will  sho-v^-us 
tfet<i6l6sse'wks  a  city  of  the  Lesser  Asia,  lying  easti^ 
ward,  and  at  no  great  distance  from  Ephesus.     Philippi 
was  on  the  Other,  i.  e.  the  western  side  of  the  iEgean  sea. 
If  the  apostle  executed  his  purpose  ;   if,  in  pursuance  of 
the  intention  expressed  in  his  letter  to  Philemon,  he  came 
to  Cblosse  soon  after  he  was  set  at  liberty  at  Rome,  it  is 
very  improbable  that  he   would  omit   to   visit  Ephesu^ 
which  lay  so  near  to  it,  and  where  he  had  spent  three 
years  of  his  ministry.     As  he  was  also  under  a  promise 
to  the  church  of  Philippi  to  see  them   "  shortly  ;"  if  he 
passed  from  Colosse  to  Philippi,  or  from  Philippi  to  Co- 
losse,  he  could  hardly  avoid  taking  Ephesus  in  his  way. 

!:;;Chap.tf  ir^'^tet  'n^t--^  '^do^ ^^  "^r^-. 
^.number  under  threescore  ye^rs  old."  .   ,.  '         , .     .^ 

..  This  accords  with  the  account  delivered:  in  the  sixth 
ffhapter  of  the  Acts.  »*  And  in  those  days,-  whfn  the 
number  of  the  disciples  Xvas  multiplied,  there  arose  a-mtrr- 
rnuring  of  the  Grecians  agaiiist  the  Hebrt'WSf"' *  Mi^au'si 
^^ihar.  widows  were  neglected  in  the  daily  mhlit^dtton^^*  It 
appears,  ^ac  from  ih^  (ir&%  i^xTo^2L^o^.(;>i^l)^^^^ 
tl«ireh,'provisioa  was  madt  out^f 'th«,  public  iitods  e^ih^  • 


THE    FIRST   CPISTLS    TO  TIMOTHY.  iS^j 

thlh    C'id>>CM      .  -:^  :^i,  .-.     :^    'M      :;':<■  of!  moil  z^iid 

SGcJety  for  the  iadigeat  w'JstuT  who,  b-loaged, to  it.  ,  T"$j 
HUtoryr  we  have  $eeri,  distinctly  records  the  exUtence  ,of 
such  an  institution  at  Jerusalem,  a, ffw  years  after  our, 
Lrord's  ascension ;  and  is  led  to  the  ii,iqntiojDLof  it  very  inci* 
dentally,  vizi  by  a  dispute,  of  whichr  it'was  ti^  ocpsion^ 
^d  which  produced  important  consequences  to  the  ■chris- 
tian cpmmunity.  The  epistle,  without  being  suspected' 
of  borrowing  from  the  history,  refers,  briefly  indeed,  but 
de^cisively,  to  a  similar  establishment,  subsisting  sorac- 
years  afterwards  at  Ephesus.  This  agreement  indicate^ . 
that  botli  writings  were  founded  upon  real  circumstances- 
B'4t  in  this  article,  the  material  thing  to  be  noticed  is 
the  mode  of  expression.  *t  Let  npta  widow  be  taken  into 
the  number.*'  No  previous  account  or  explanation  is 
given,  to  which  these  words,  "  into  the  number,"  can  re- 
fer ;  but  the  direction  comes  concisely  and  unpreparedly., 
*:«  X«et  not  a  widow  be  taken  into  the  number."  Now 
this  is  the  vfay  in  which  a  man  writes,  who  is  conscious 
t^at  he  is  writing  to  persons  already  acquainted  witli  the 
subject  of  his  lettei:  ;,  and.  who,  he  knovr;s,  will  readily 
appreliend  and  apply:  what  hejsays  by  virtue  of  their  be?., 
ing  so  acquainted  ;  but  it  is  not  the  way  in  which  a  man 
writes  "Upon  any  other  occasion  j  and  least  of  all,  in  which 
a  niar*  would  draw. .Pp  a  fejgped  lettff^  .or-.fj^o^duQe,^ 
supposititious  fact.* 

*  It  is  not  altogether  unconnected  with  our  general  purpose  to  re- 
n^jtji^^.^l^  y*?^^  t«Core  up,th.e  selection  and,  reserve  which  St.Pau! 
recommends  to  the  governors  of  the  church  ofEphesuSjin  the  bestowing; 
relief  up-sn  the  pfl»or,  because  it  refu'tes  a'caluh^hy  which  has  been  in- 
ginu^ted,  thdt  Ihe  liberality  of  the  first  Christiatis  was  an  artifice'  to 
cirtch  cbnvei-ts;:  or  one  of  the  temptations,  however,  bj  which  the 
idi?;an.d  mendicant  were 4ra\yn  into  this  society.  ,"  Let  not.a  widow  b^ 
*'j.  Ukeiji::  into  the  numbjEr. under  threescore  yenrs  old,  having  been  the 
**^wjfe  of  one  man,  v/ell  r^eported  of  for  her  good  works;  if  she  have 
**  brought  up' children  jHiihe  have  logdfed  sti'anc^efrsiif  she  have  washed 
"^iRfe^  faints'  fefet:,-  ifih'^  havcreleived  the  afflicted,  if  she  have  dJ!iv 
•'^iiij^y  foUoWed'C's^^tTt  goioid  W)rk ;  b«t  the  younger  widoTtys  refuafi." 
(v.  9,  1  o,  1 1 ).    And,  in  another  place,  «*  If  any  man  or  woman  that  biy 


lH*  Tiff! ^^i^rcf^^'^^^  Tft  y^f^Q^^U^* 

Chap.,.iiu  2,  .3^.    ..  *ii^  bishap  raast  be  Ijlapnejes^j^the 
•  **  husband  of  one  wife^  vigilant,  sober,  of  gQod  bejiaviour, 
"  given  to  hospitality,  apt  to  teach  ;  not  given  to  winei  no 
<' striker,  not  greedy,  of  fiitl>y  lucre,  but,pa^^t^;aptja 
*'  brawler,  not  covetous  ;;  c^e  thgt  yuleth  well  his  aw^' 
."house."    .     ,.,.:w.-.-;.   :(-!jiii::,iL    u.^i-v^i  ■.■■,■■:.  ;?■■£ 
'*  No  itrjhr.":   ^  Thdl  s-is;  the,  aptide,  y^hi^yli^^h  ml 
from   the  collection  as   Qvuicingtl^^.antifjw;:^  r*l;ile^^> 
if  not  th-'  genuineness,  of  the  epistle,  because  it- i^  an  arlii- 
rcle  which  no  man  would  have  made  the  subject  of  cau.-. 
tk)n  who  lived  in  aji  advanced  ^a  of  the  church.,     Jt 
agreed  v*nth  the  infancy  of  the  society,  and  with  no  Qtiier 
itate  of  it.     After  the  government  ot  the  church  had  ac- 
quired Uic  dignified  form  which  it  soon  and  naturally  as- 

■  sumed,  this  injunction  could  have  no  place.      Would  a 

■  person  wlxo  lived  under  a  hierarchy,  such  as  the  Christian 
hiearchy  became  vvhen  it  had  settled  Into  a  regular  estab- 
lishment, have  thought  it  neoissary  to  prescribe  concerning 
the  qualification  of  a  bishop,  "  that  he  should  be  no  strike 
f*  er  r*  And  this  injunction  would  be  equally  alien  from 
the  imagination  of  the  writeri.  whether  he  wrote  in  his  own 

-  character^  or  personated  that  of  an  apostle.. 

«  lieveth  have  widows,  let  them  relieve  them,  and  let  not  the  cKiirch 

*•  be  charged,  that  it  may  relieve  them  that  are  widows  indeed." 

And  to  the  same  effect,  or  rather  more  to  our  present  purpose,  the 

upostle  writes  in  Kis  Second  Epistle  to  the  Tiaessalonians.      «'kven 

-■  »*  when  we  were  with  you,  this  we  commanded  you,that  if  aayRtmld 

■i**.  not  work,  neither  let  him  eat,"  i.  e.  at  the  public  expense,     'yFo; 

.   «•  we  hear  that  there  are  some  which  walfe  amon^  ypu  dis^i^d^riy, 

^\^%uorUny.  noi  at,uU-,  but  are  busy  bodies  ;  now  them  that  are  sucli,^we 

«  command  anji  exKort,  by  oar  l.ord  Jesus  Christ,  that  with  quietness 

«  they  work,  and'  eat  their  bwa  bread."     Could  a  designing- 'or  HessO' 

iwte  poof*  take  advantage  hi  fedonty  regulated 'ieith' so  much' cautj'oa . 

'br'*couldthe'riiiridlwhib^  dictated  those  so^ier^alrd  prttdeiat  dli-^irtionft 

be  influenced  in  his  recdinpisii^atlons  pf  T>ubUc'(jhiu:if:y'l|y  Aciy  <^her 

tkan  the  properett  motives  of  bencficefic^f 


THE  PIR.9T    EPISTLE    TO  TiMOTrfr.  'it$ 


No.  IF. 

Chap.  V.  23.  "  Drink  no  longer  water,  but  use  a  little 
<*  wine  for  thy  stomach's  sake,  and  thine  often  infirmities/' 
Imagine  an  impostor  sitting  down  to  forge  an  epistle 
in  the  name  of  St.  Paul.  Is  it  credible  that  it  should  come 
into  his  head  to  give  such  a  direction  as  this  ;  so  remote 
from  every  thing  of  doctrine  or  discipline,  every  thing  of 
public  concern  to  the  religion  or  the  church;  or  to  any  sect, 
order,  or  party  in  k,  a:<d  from  every  purpose  with  which 
such  an  epistle  could  be  written  ?  It  seems  to  me  that  noth- 
ing but  reality,  that  is,  the  real  valetudinary  situation  of  a 
real  person,  could  have  suggested  a  thought  of  so  domes- 
tic a  nature. 

But  if  the  peculiarity  of  the  advice  be  observable,  the 
place  in  which  it  stands  is  more  so.     The  context  is  this  ; 
♦*  Lay  hands  suddenly  on  no  man^  neither  be  partaker  of 
«<  other  men's  sins  ;  keep  tliyself  pure  ;    drink  no  longer 
<*  water,  but  use  a  Httle  wine  for  thy  stomach's  sake,  and 
**  thine  often  infirmities  ;  some  men's  sins  are  open  before 
**  hand,  going  before  to  judgment  j    and  some  men  they 
•*  follow  after."     The  direction  to  Timothy  about  his 
diet  stands  between  two  sentencesj  as  wide  from  the  sub- 
ject as  possible.-    The  train  of  thought  seems  to  be  brok- 
en to  let  it  in^     Now  when  does  this  happen  ?  It  happens 
,,  .when  a  man  writes^ as  he  remembers ;  when  he  puts  down 
^jl^an  article  that  occurs  the  moment  it  occurs,  lest  he  should 
fj3  .afterwards  forget  it.     Of  this  the  passage  before  us  bears 
! '  strongly  the  appearance.     In  actual  letters,  in  the  negli- 
gence of  a  real  correspondence,  examples  of  this  kind  fre- 
quently take  place  ;  seldom  I  believe  in  any  other  produc- 
tion.    For  the  moment  a  man  regards  what  he  writes  as 
a  composttiont   which  the  author  of  a  forgery  would,  of  all 
j.qthers,  be  the  first  to  do,  notions  of  order,  in  the  arrange- 
^.^nptaent  and  succession  of  his  thoughts,  present  themselves 
to  his  judgment,  and  guide  his  pen. 

Q  2 


t^  Tli  E  rUl  ST    F?  I  ST  t  E;  TO  T«l»OT  HTT ♦ 

Chap.  i.  15:,  16.  *'  This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  wor- 
*^  thy  of  all  acceptation,  tliat  Chiist  Jesus  came  iato  the 
•♦  world  ta  save  sinners,  o£  whem  J.  am  chief.  Hovrf>eit, 
*•  for  thi^  cause  I  obtained  mercy,  that  in  me  first  Jesus 
**  Christ  might  show  forth  all  longsufFering,  for  a  pattern 
**  to  them  v.'hich  should  hereafter  believe  in  him- to  life 
**  everlasting."  , 

Wliat  \Tas  the  mercy  which  St.  Pau-l  here  ecmraeHio 
rates,  and  what  was  the  crime  of  which  he  accuses  him- 
self, is  apparent  from  the  verses  immediately  preceding^. 
**  I  thank  Chrisi  Jesus,  our  Lord,  who  hath  enabled  nrte, 
**  for  that  he  counted  me  faithful,  putting  me  into  the  min- 
•*  Istrr,  fo/ho  tuai  hefore  a  hlasphemeri  and  a  persecutor  and 
'•  injurious  ;  but  I  obtained  mercy,  because  I  did  it  igno- 
*•  rantly  in  unbelief, "^  (ch.  i.  12,  15.)  The  whole  quo- 
tation plainly  refers  to  St.  Paul's  original  enmity  to  the 
Christian  name,  the  interposition  of  providence  in  his  con- 
version, and  his  subsequent  designation  to  the  ministry  of 
the  gospel  ;  and  by  this  reference  affirms  indeed  the  sub- 
stance of  the  apostle's  history  delivered  in  the  Acts.  But 
what  in  the  passage  strikes  my  mind  most  powerfully,  is 
the  observation  that  is  raised  out  of  the  fact.  "  For  this 
•*  cause  I  obtained  mercy,  that  in  me  first  Jesus  Christ 
*»  might  show  forth  all  longsnffering,  for  a  pattern  to  them 
♦•  which  should  hereafter  believe  on  him  to  life  everlast- 
«•  ing.**  It  is  a  just  and  solemn  reflection,  springing 
from  the  circumstances  of  the  author's  conversion,  or 
rather  fi-om  the  impression  which  that  great  event  had 
left  upon  his  memory.  It  will  be  said  perhaps,  that  an 
fmpostor  acquainted  with  St.  Paul's  history,  may  have 
put  such  a  sentiment  into  his  mouth  ;  or,  what  is  the 
same  thing,  into  a  letter  drawn  up  in  his  name.  But, 
where,  we  may  ask,  i^  such  an  impostor  to  be  found  ? 
The   piety,  the  truth,  iJie  benevolence  of  the  thought 


THE    FIRST    EPISTLE    TO     TIMOTHY.  187 

ought  to  protect  it  from  this  imputation.  For  though 
we  should  allow  that  one  of  the  great  masters  of  the  an- 
cient tragedy  could  have  given  to-  his  scene  a  sentiment 
as  virtuous  and  as  elevated  as  this  is,  and,  at  the  same 
time  as  appropriate,  and  as  well  suited  to  the  particular 
situation  of  the  person  who  delivers  it ;  yet  whoever  is 
conversant  in  these  enquiries. \vi]l  acknowledge,  that  to  do 
this  in  a  fictitious  production  is  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
understandings  which  have  been  employed  upon  any /a3- 
rlcations  that  have  come  down  to  us  under  Christian 
names. 


nr^ 


jrfgrjoii? 


CHAP.xn. 

THE    SECOND    EPISTLE    TO  TIMOTHY. 
No,  /. 

It  was  the  uniform  tradition  of  the  primitive 
church,  that  St.  Paul  visited  Rome  twice,  and  twice  there 
suffered  imprisonment ;  and  tliat  he  was  put  to  death  at 
Rome  at  tlie  conclusion  of  his  second  imprisonment.  This 
opinion  concerning  St.  Paul's  two  journeys  to  Rome  t« 
confirmed  by  a  great  variety  of  hints  and  allusions  in  the 
epistle  before  us^  compared  with  what  fell  from  the  apos- 
tle's pen  in  other  letters  purporting  to  have  been  written 
from  Rome.  That  our  present  epistle  was  written  whilst 
St.  Paul  was  a  prisoner,  is  distinctly  intimated  by  die 
eighth  verse  of  the  first  chapter*  **  Be  not  thou  tliere- 
•*  fore  ashamed  of  the  testimony  of  our  Lord,  nor  of 
*'  me  his  prisoner."  And  whilst  he  was  a  prisoner  at  Romey 
by  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  verses  of  the  same  chapter^ 
**  The  Lord  give  meicy  unto  the  house  of  Onesiphorus  j 
**  or  he  oft  refreshed  me,  and  was  not  ashamed  of  my 
**  chain ;  but  when  he  was  in  Rome  he  sought  me  out 
**  very  diligently,  and  found  me."  Since  it  appears 
from  the  former  quotation  that  St.  Paul  wrote  this  epistle 
in  confinement,  it  will  hardly  admit  of  doubt  that  the 
word  chain,  in  the  latter  quotation  refers  to  tiiat  confine- 
ment ;  the  chain  by  which  he  was  then  bound,  the  custo- 
dy in  which  he  was  then  kept.  And  if  the  word  chain 
designate  the  author's  confinement  at  the  time  of  writing 
tlie  epistle,  the  next  words  determine  it  to  have  been 
written  from  Rome.  <*  He  was  not  ashama^  of  my  chain  ; 
•*  but  when  he  was  in  Rome  he  sought  me  out  very  dili- 
♦*  gently."  Now  th:it  it  iva:  not  written  during  the  apostle's 


TKE    SECOND    BPISTLE     TO    TIMOTHY  I89 

first  imprisonment  at  Rome,  or  during  the  sarne  imprisoii- 
ment.in  which  the  Epistles  to  the  Ephesians,  the  Colossians^ 
the  Philippians,  and  Phi-kiaipnjs^.w^^^written,  may  be  gath- 
ered, with  considerable  evidence,  "from  a  coniparison  oi 
tbese  several  epistles  with  the  jw-esent. ,  ^_  ^ 

I.  In' the  former  episfles  the  author  cbnfidl^ently' looked 
forward  to  his  liberation  fr^m  .eonhnement,  and  his  s-p<^edvp 
cteparture  from  Rome.  He  tells  the  Philippians  (ch.  ii.  24.) 
«'  I  triist  in  the  Lord  that  I  also-  myself  shalt  cogae  short- 
•*iy{''*"^^hifert>6rf^"fe6  4i'ds  tS^  f>lieparg  for'  hwn'a  lodging  ; 
**'f5rF' trust/'  says'- he,  <*^til?  throwg^h  your  prayi&rg,  I 
^ shall  be  gi-ren  tirito  you, ^*  (^vev.  22.)  In  the  epistk  be?- 
Ibre  us  he  holds  a  language  extremely  diiferent.  •.**  I  arsj 
**  flow  ready  tJo  be  offered,  artd  the  time,  of  my  departure  i$ 
''*-atbaiid.  !■  have  fought  a  good  fight;  I  hav^e  finished  my 
'*'-  course  ;  I  have  kept  the  faith  ;  henceforth  there  is  V^d 
^*  up  for  me  a  crO'Wn  of  righteoasness-,  which  the  Lord,  the 
^tighteous Judge,  shall  gtre  me  at  that  day^'*(d4vir.6— 8w) 
'  II.  When  the  former  epistles  wet^e  written  from  Rome, 
Timothy  was  v^ith  St.  Paul ;  and  is  joined  with  him  ia 
■writing  to  the  Colossians,  the .  Phvlippians,  and  to  Piiik>. 
moi"u  The  present  epistle  implies  that  he  'was  absent. 

III.  in  the  former  epistles.  Demas.  was  with  St.  Pau) 

^  Rome.     ^  Luke,,  the  beloved  ph:)"sicraa,  aad  I>emas, 

**  greet  youj."     la  the  epistk  now  before  us;.  "  Demaa 

:  !♦  hath  forsakea  him,  havisng  loTed  thispreseat  worlds  and 

-  •*«  is  gone  to  Thessalonica*"  x , 

•^    IV.  In  die  former  epiade,  Mark  w«s.  with  St  Paulj.  and 

'  joifts^irt  saluting  the  Colossians.     In  tlie  present  eptstfe, 

Timothy  is  ordered  to  *'  bring  him  wHth.  him^  for  hch-k 

**  profitable  tc>  me  for  the  ministry, '*'  (ch.  iv*  ti.)i    ^; 

The  case  of  Timothy  and  of  Mark  might  be  very  well  ac- 

eourrted  for,  by  supposing  the  present  epistle  to  liare  be«n 

W^itt^  ^^^  the^  «feh6ri4  so;  that  Taaotby,  who.  is  here 

exhorted  •*-to-'c<!kve'  shortly  iihto  him,"  {chap.  lv.  9,) 

m^ht  kaye-  arritned,  and  th^  Mark,,  •<'  H8hfl«n.  he  wai»*t« 


n''  

Jt§p  THE    SECOND    EPISTLE    TO    TIMOTHr.- 

«<  bring  wttU  him,"  (chap.  u'.  1 1,)  might  have  als6  reach- 
ed. Rome  ia  sufficient  ,tinie  to  have  been,  with-.  3t«  ,^aul 
wlien  the  fow'  epistles  were  written ;  but  tlien  sucKa  sujVf 
position  is  inconsistent  with  what  is  said  of  Demas,  ,bf ; 
which  the  posteriority  of  this  to  the  other  epistles  is  strong- 
ly indicated ;  for  in  the  other  epistles  Dcnias  was  with : 
St.  Paul,  in  the  present  he  hath  "  forsakeR  him,  and.  is 
"gone  to  Thessalonica."  The  opposition  also  of  senti-- 
ment,  with  respect  to  the  event  of  tlie  perseculiq^,  ..i*., 
hardlf  rec.oncileable  to  the  same  imprisonmer^t. .  ,    ;,  ,. 

.(^.^Xiie  two  following  considerations,  which ,  were.fiist  = 
suggested  upon  this  questiau  by  Laidovicus  CapelUis,^rp  , 
still  more  conclusive.  .  ,  -       .^         .^  . 

I.  la   the  twentieth  verse   of  the  fourth  chapter,  St, 
Paul  informs  Timothy,  *'  thatErastus  abode  at  Corinth," 
E^oicrTCi  e/Lcsn'iv  i>  K»^iv66t.     The  form  of  expression  impliesj 
tliat  Erastus  had  staid  behind  at  Corinth,  when  Si.   Paul , 
left  it.     But  this  could  not  be  meant  of  any  journey  from  ■ 
Gorintji  which  St.  Paul  took  prior  to  his  first  imprison- , 
ment  at  Rome;    for  when  Paul  departed  from  Corinth,  ^ 
as  related  in  the  twentieth  chapter  of  the  Acts,  Timothy 
wasiwith  him  ;  and; this  was  the  last  time  the  apostle  left. 
Corinth  before  his  coming  to  Rome ;  because  he  left  it  to 
proceed  on  his  way  to  Jerusalem,  soon  after  his  arrival^ 
at  which  place  he  was  taken  into  custody,  and  continued  ► 
in  that  custody  till  he  was  carried  to  Csesar's  tribunal^:- 
There  could  be  no  need  therefore  to  inform  Timothy  that  ^ 
"* Erastus  staid  behind' at  Corinth'*  upon  this  occasion,., 
because,   if  the  fact  was  so, fit  must  have- been  known  t«, 
Timothy  who  was^ present,  as  well  as  to  St.  Paul. ' :      rjh 

1,  In  the '  satne  verse  our  ej-'i^tle  also  states  the  follow>£ 
Ing  afticle/  *<  Trophimus  have  I  left  at  Miletum  sick.'*. 
When  St.  Paiil  passed  through  Miletum  on  his  way  to^^ 
Jerusalem,'as  telated  Acts  xx.  Trophimus  was  not  leftr 
behin<?,  btttaccorn^nied  him  to  that  city.  He  was  Hi* 
ceeKi- the  oecasfeTv  of 'iiie -uproar  at  Jerusaieni,  in  coiisc?  . 
^uence  of  which  St.   Paul  was  apprehended  ;  for  *'  they 


THE    SECOND    EPISTLE    TO    TIMOTHY.  J^f 

**  had  seen,"  says  the  historian,  "  before  with  him  in  the 
**'city-,TrOphimus,  an  Ephesian,  whom  they  supposed  that 
"  Paul  had  brought  intb  the  temple.*'  This  Was  evident- 
ly tlie  last  time  of  Paul's  being  at  Miletus  before  his  firsf 
imprisonment';  for,  as  hath  been  said,  after  his  appreheh-i 
sion  at  Jerusalem,  he  rerhaihed  iil  custody  till  he  was  sent'^ 
t6   Rome.  ■"  ■  ■.■-.•...■v>    ..^:^    .'a.    ..^  .;   .J 

' ' Tn  tliese  two'  'articles  ' We'hatve- 'a-  journey  referred ' to,' ' 
which  must  haVe  taken  place  subsequent  to  the  concia-' 
sion  of  St.  Luke's  history,  and  of  course  after  St.  PaUptf* 
liberation  frotrt  his  first  imprisonment.  The  epistle  there-'' 
for^ Which  contains  this  reference,  since  it  appears  from 
otiier  parts  of  it  to  have  been  written  while  St.  Paul  was'' 
a  prisoner  at  Rome,  proves  that  he  had  returned  to -that* 
city  again  and  undergone  thet-e'a  second  imprisonment. 

I  do  not  produce  these  particulars  for  the  sake  of  the 
support  which  they  lend  to  the  testimony  of  the  fathers 
concerning  St.  Paul's  second  imprisonment,  but  to  remark 
their  consistency  and  agreement -with  one  another.     They 
are  all  resolvable  into  one  supposition  ;  and  altlwugh  the. 
supposition  itself  be  in  some  sort  only  negative,  viz.  that^ 
the  epistle  was  not  written  during  St.  Paul's  first  residence 
at  Rome,  but  in  some  future  imprisonment  in  that  city  j 
yet  is  the  consistency  not  less  worthy  of  observation  ;  for 
the  epistle  touches  upon  names  and  circumstances  connect- 
ed with  the  date  and  with  the  history  of  the  first  impris* 
onment,  and  mentioned  in  letters  written  during  that  im-, 
ptisonment,  and  so  touches  upon  them,  as  to  leave  what; 
is  said  of  one  consistent  with  what  Is   said  of  others,  and  • 
consistent  also  with  what  is  said  of  them  in  different  epis- 
tles.    Had  one  of  these  circnmstances  been  so  described: 
as  to  have  fixed  the  date  of  the  epistle  to  the  first  impris- 
onment, it  would  have  Involved  the  rest  in  contradiction*;,. 
And  when  the  number  and  particularity  of  tjie  articles^^/ 
wfiich  "have  been   brought  together  under  his  head,  are  f 
considered  ;  hnd  w1ien.it  is  ccnsidereti  also,  tliat 'the  com-l 
partsons  we  iiaVe  fbriaed  amongst  Uiem>  were  in  all  prob«?»^ 


Ip^.  T«E    SECOND    EPISTX^E    TO    TIMOTWV, 

ability  neither  provided  for,  nor  thought  of,  by  the  writer 
of  the  epistle,  it  will  be  deemed  something  very  like  the 
effect  of  truth,  that  no  invincible  repugnancy  is  perceived 
between  them. 

Ng.  II, 

In  the  A^cts  of  the  Apostles,  in  the  sixteenth  chapter, 
and  at  the  first  verse,  wq  are  told  that  Paul  "  came  to 
**  Derbe  and  Lystra,  and  behold  a  certain  disciple  was 
**  there  named  TImotlieus,  the  son  of  a  certain  woman 
«<  which  was  a  Jewess,  and  believed  ;  but  his  father  was  a 
**  Greek."  In  the  epistle  before  us,  in  the  first  chapter 
and  at  the  fifth  verse,  St.  Paul  writes  to  Timothy  thus  5 
^  Greatly  desiring  to  see  thee,  being  mindful  of  thy  tears 
"that  I  may  be  filled  with  joy,  when  I  call  to  remem- 
^  brance  the  unfeigned  faith  that  is  in  thee,  w^hich  dwelt 
"  first  In  thy  grandmother  Lois,  and  thy  mother  Eunice  ;  and 
«  I  am  persuaded  that  in  the  also."  Here  we  have  a  fair 
unforced  example  of  coincidence.  In  the  history  Timothy- 
was  the  "  son  of  a  Jewess  //j<2/ believed  ;"  in  the  epistle  St. 
Paul  applauds  "  the  faith  which  dwelt  in  his  mother  Eu- 
"  nice."  In  the  history  it  Is  said  of  of  the  mother,  <'  that 
^  she  was  a  Jewess,  and  believed  ;"  of  the  father,  "  that 
"  he  was  a  Greek."  Now  when  It  is  said  of  the  mother 
alone  *'  that  she  believed,"  the  father  being  nevertheless 
mentioned  in  the  same  sentence,  we  are  led  to  suppose  of 
tlie  father  that  he  did  not  belive,  i.  e.  either  that  he  was 
dead,  or  that  he  remained  unconverted.  Agreeably  here- 
unto, whilst  praise  is  bestowed  In  the  epistle  upon  one  par- 
ent, and  upon  her  sincerity  In  the  faith,  no  notice  Is  taken 
of  the  other.  The  mention  of  the  grandmother  Is  the  ad- 
dition of  a  circumstance  not  found  In  the  history  ;  but  it  is 
a  circiimstance  which,  as  well  as  the  names  of  ihe  parties, 
plight  naturally  be  expected  to  be  known  to  the  apostle, 
though  overlooked  by  his  historian. 


THE     SECOND    EPISTLE     TO    TIMOTHY  I93 


No.  III. 

Chap.  Hi.  1 5.  *'  And  that  from  a  child  thou  hast  known 
***  the  Holy  Sciiptures  which  are  able  to  make  the  wise 
•"  unto  salvation." 

This  verse  discloses  a  circumstance  which  agrees  exact- 
ly with  what  is  intimated  in  the  quotation  from  the  Acts,  ^ 
adduced  in  the  last  number.  In  that  quotation  it  is  re- 
corded of  Timothy's  mother,  "  that  she  was  a  Jewess.'* 
This  description  is  virtually,  though,  I  am  satisfied,  unde- 
signedly, recognized  in  the  epistle,  when  Timothy  is  re- 
minded in  it,  "  that  from  a  child  he  had  known  the  Holy 
"  Scriptures."  "  The  Holy  Scriptures"  undoubtedly 
■meant  the  scriptures  of  the  Old  Testament.  The  expres- 
sioii  Ipears  that  sense  in  every  place  in  which  it  occurs. 
Those  of  the  New  had  not  acquired  the  name,  not  to  men- 
tion, that  in  Timothy's  childhood,  probably  none  of  them 
existed.  In  what  manner  then  could  Timothy  have 
known  "  from  a  child,"  the  Jewish  scriptures  had  he  not 
been  born,  on  one  side  or  on  both,  of  Jewish  parentage  ? 
Perhaps,  he  was  not  less  -likely  to  be  carefully  instructed 
in  them,  for  that  his  mother  alone  professed  that  relig- 
ion. 

No..  IV. 

Chap.  ii.  22.  *'  Flee  also  youthful  lusts,  but  follow 
**  righteousness,  faith,  charity,  peace  with  them  that  call 
"  on  the  Lord  out  of  a  pure  heart." 

**  Flee  aha  youthful  lusts."  The  suitableness  of  this  pre, 
cept  to  the  age  of  the  person  to  whom  it  is  addressed,  i» 
:gathered  from  i  Tim.  chap,  iv.  12.  *'  Let  no  man  des- 
«  pise  thy  youth."  Nor  do  I  deem  the  less  of  this  coln- 
-cidcnce,  because  the  propriety  resides  in  a  single  epithet ; 
.or  because  this  one  precept  is  joined  with,  and  followed  by 
a  train  of  others,  not  more  applicable  to  Timothy  -than 
R 


194  THE    FIRST      EPISTJUE    TO    TIMOTHY. 

to  any  ordinary  convert.  It  Is  in  these  transient  and  cur- 
sory  allusions  that  the  argument  is  best  founded.  When 
a  writer  dwells  and  rests  upon  a  point  in  which  some  co- 
incidence is  discerned,  it  may  be  doubted  whether  he  him- 
self had  not  fabricated  the  conformity,  and  was  endeavor- 
ing to  display  and  set  it  off.  But  Avhen  the  reference  is 
contained  in  a  single  word,  unobserv^ed  perhaps  by  most 
readers,  the  writer  passing  on  to  other  subjects,  as  uncon- 
scious that  he  had  hit  upon  a  correspondency,  or  unsoli- 
citous  vv'hether  it  were  remarked  or  not,  we  may  be  pret- 
ty well  assured  that  no  fiaud  was  exercised,  no  umpdsition 
intended. 

No.   V. 

Chap.  ill.  10,  II.  *'  But  thou  hast  fully  known  my 
"  doctrine,  manner  of  life,  purpose,  faith,  long  sujffering, 
"  charity,  patience,  persecutions,  a-fflictions,  which  came 
**  unto  me  at  Antloch,  at  Icomum,  at  Lystra  ;  what  perse - 
«'  cutions  I  endured  ;  but  out  of  them  all  the  Lord  deliv- 
"  ered  me." 

The  Antioch  here  mentioned  was  not  Antioch  the 
capital  of  Syria,  where  Paul  and  Barnabas  resided  "  a 
**  long  time  ;"  but  Antioch  in  Pisidia,  to  which  place 
Paul  and  Barnabas  came  in  their  first  apostolic  progress, 
and  where  Paul  delivered  a  memorable  discourse,  which 
is  preserved  in  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  the  Acts.  At 
this  Antioch  the  history  relates,  that  *' the  Jews  stirred 
**  up  the  devout  and  honorable  women,  and  the  chief  men 
•*  of  the  city,  and  raised  persecution  against  Paul  and  Bar- 
*^nahas,  and  expelled  them  out  of  their  coasts.  But  they 
^'  shook  off  the  dust  of  their  feet  against  them,  and  came 
«  unto  Iconium  ....  And  it  came  to  pass  in  Iconium, 
«« that  they  went  both  together  Into  the  synagogue  of  the 
«  Jews,  and  so  spake  that  a  great  multitude  both  of  the 
Jews  and  also  of  the  Greeks  believed  ;  but  the  unbe- 
**  lievlng  Jews  stirred  up  the  Gentiles,  and  made  their 
**  roinds  evil  affected  against  the  brethren.      Long  time 


THE     SECO,NO    EPISTLE    TO    TIMOTHY.  195 

«* -.therefore  abode  they  speaking  boldly  in  the  Lord,  which 
**  gave  testimony  unto  tlie  word  of  his  grace,  and  grant- 
*<  ed  signs  and  wonders  to  b;;  done  by  their  hands.  But 
•'the  multitude  of  the  city  was  div^ided  ;  and  part  held 
«»  with  the  Jews,  and  part  with  the  apostles.  And  when 
*^  there  was  an  assault  made  both  of  the  Gentiles  and  also 
f*  of  the  Jews,  with  their  rulers,  io  use  them  despitefully  and 
'■'^  to  stone  them>  they  were  aware  of  it,  and  fled  unto  Lys- 
"  tra  and  Dcrbe,  cities  of  Lycaonia,  and  unto  the  region, 
*'  that  lieth  round  about,  and  there  they  preached  the 
**  gospel  '.  .  .  .And  there  came  thither  certain  Jews 
"  from  Antioch  and  Iconium,  who  persuaded  the  people, 
"  and  having  stoned  Paul,  drew  him  out  of  the  city,  sup- 
*'  posing  he  had  been  dead.  Howbeit,  as  the  disciples  stoo^ 
*'  round  about  him,  he  rose  up  and  came  into  the  city  ; 
^*  and  the  next  day  he  departed  with  Barnabas  to  Derbe ; 
'•  and  when  they  had  preached  the  gospel  in  that  city, 
**  and  had  taught  many,  they  returned  again  to  Lystra, 
"  and  to  Iconium,  and  to  Antioch."  This  account  com- 
prises the  period  to  which  the  allusion  in  the  epistle 
is  to  be  referred.  We  have  so  far  therefore  a  con- 
formity beweeii  the  history  and  the  epistle,  that  St. 
Paul  is  asserted  in  the  history  to  have  suffered  persecu- 
tions in  the  three  cities,  his  persecutions  at  which 
are  appealed  to  in  tlie  epistle  ;  and  not  only  so,  but  to 
have  suffered  these  persecutions  bot;h  in  immediate  suc- 
cession, and  in  the  order  in  which  the  cities  are  men- 
tioned in  the  epistle.  The  conformity  also  extends  to  an- 
other circumstance.  In  the  apostolic  history  Lystra  and 
Derbe  are  commonly  mentioned  together  ;  in  the  quota- 
tion from  the  epistle  Lystra  is  mentioned,  and  not  Derbe. 
And  the  distinction  will  appear  on  this  occasion  to  be  ac- 
curate ;  for  St.  Paul  is  here  enumerating  his  persecutions  ; 
and  although  he  underwent  grievous  persecutions  in  each 
of  the  three  cities  through  which  he  passed  to  Derbe,  at 
Derbe  itself  he  met  with  none  ;  "  The  next  day  he  depart- 
ed,'* says  the  historian,  '*  to  Derbe  ;  and  when  they  had. 
**  preached  the  gospel  to  that  city,  and  had  taught  many' 


1^6  THE    SECOND    EPISTLE    TO/TI  MOT  H  7. 

*'  they  returned  again  to  Lystra.'*  The  epistle,  therefore", 
in  the  names  of  the  cities,  in  the  order  in  which  they  are 
enumerated,  and  in  the  place  at  which  the  enumeration 
stops,  corresponds  exactly  with  the  history. 

But  a  second  question  remains,  namely,  how  these  per- 
secutions were  "known"  to  Timothy,  or  why  the  apostle 
should  recal  these  in  particular  to  his  remembrnnce,  rather 
than  many  other  persecutions  with  which  his  ministry  had 
been  attended.     When  some  time,  probably  three  yeai'S, 
afterwards  (vUe  Pearson's  Annales  Paulinas,)   St.  Paiil 
inade  a  second  journey  through  the  same  countr)-,  *<  in  or- 
**  der  to  go  again  and  visit  the  brethren  in  every  city  where 
**  he  had  preached  the  word  of  the  Lord,"  we  read,  Acts, 
chap.  xvi.  I.  that  "  when  he  came  to  Derbe  and  Lystra, 
•*  behold  a  certain  disciple  was  there  named  Timotheus.** 
One  or  otiier  therefore  of  these  cities  was  the  place  of 
Timothy's  abode.      We  read  moreover  that  he  was  well 
reported   of  by   the   brethren   that  were   at   Lystra  and 
Iconium  ;  so  that  he  must  have  been  well  acquainted  with 
these  places.     Also  again,  when  Paul  came  to  Der  be  and 
Lystra,  Timothy  was  already  a  disciple.     '♦  Behold  a  cer- 
*'  tain  disciple  was  there  named  TiEfiotheus."      He  must 
therefore  have  been  converted  i>efore.      But  since  it  is  ex- 
pressly stated  in  the  epistle,  that  Timothy  was  converted 
by  St.  Paul  himself,  that  he  was  "  his  own  son  in  the 
*'  faith,"    it  follows,  that   he  must   have  been  converted 
by  him  upon  his  former  journey  into  those  parts  ;    which 
was  the  very  time  when  the  apostle  underwent  the  perse- 
cutions referred  to  in  the  epistle.      Upon  the  whole,  then> 
persecutions  at  the  several  cities  named  in  the  epistle  are 
expressly  recorded  in  the  Acts  ;  and  Timotliy's  knowledge 
of  this  part  of  St.  Paul's  history,  which  knowledge  is  ap- 
pealed to  in  the  epistle,  is  fairly  deduced  from  the  place  of 
his  abode,  and  the  time  of  his  conversion.     It  may  further 
be  observed,  that  it  is  probable  from  this  account,  that  St. 
Paul  was  in  the  midst  of  these  persecutions  when  Timothy 
became  known  to  liim.     No  wonder  then  that  the  apostle, 


THF     SECOND    EPISTLE    TO    TIMOTHY.  I97 

thouorh  in  a  letter  written  long  afterwards,  should  remind 
his  favourite  convert  of  those  scenes  of  affliction  and  dis- 
tress under  wliich  they  first  met. 

Although  this  coincidence,  as  to  the  names  of  the  cit- 
ies, be  more  specific  and  direct  than  many  which  we  have 
pointed  out,  yet  I  apprehend  theie  is  no  just  reason  for 
thinking  it  to  be  artificial ;  for  had  the  writer  of  the  epis- 
tle sought  a  coincidence  with  the  history  upon  this  head, 
and  searched  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  for  the  purpose,  I 
conceive  he  would  have  sent  us  at  once  to  Philippi  and 
Thessalonica,  where  Paul  suffered  persecution,  and  where 
from  what  is  stated,  it  may  easily  be  gathered  that  Timo- 
tliy  accompanied  him,  rather  than  have  appealed  to  perse- 
cutions as  known  to  Timothy,  in  the  account  of  which  per- 
secutions Timothy  ^s  presence  is  not  mentioned  ;  it  not  be- 
ing till  after  one  entire  chapter,  and  in  the  history  of  a 
journey  three  years  future  to  this,  that  Timothy's  name 
occurs  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  for  the  first  time* 


Ri 


CHAP.  XIII. 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  TITUS. 
.V^.   /. 

jl\.  very    characteristic   circumstance  m  tliis 
Epistle,  is  the  quotation  from  Epimenides,  chap.  i.   12.. 
**  One  of  themselves,  even  a  prophet  of  their  own,  said, 
■**  the  Cretans  are  always  liars,  evil  beasts,  slow  bellies." 

T  call  this  quotation  characteristic,  because  no  writer  in 
the  New  Testament,  except  St.  Paul,  appealed  to  heathen 
testimony;  and  because  St.  Paul  repeatedly  did  so.  In. 
his  c^ebrated  speech  at  Athens,  preserved  in  the  seven- 
teenth chapter  of  the  Acts,  he  tells  his  audience,  that  "  in. 
*«  God  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being ;  as  certain 
"  also  of  your  own  poets  ha^e  said,  for  we  are  also  his  q^ 
**  spring."     _  >    ,p  ,r^  ]p,..-;-,£.v^^  pp vr'hnr  .rrjt/or^  fbvr  H  jT 

-—TH  yxp   KUi   yivo<;   ty^iv. 

The  reader  will  perceive  much  similarity  of  manner  in 
these  two  passages.  The  reference  in  the  speech  is  to  a. 
heathen  poet ;  it  is  the  same  in  the  epistle.  In  the  speech 
tlie  apostle  urges  his  hearers  with  the  authority  of  a  poetr 
9f  their  oivn  ;  in  the  epistle  he  avails  himself  of  the  same 
advantage.  Yet  there  is  a  variation,  which  shows  that 
the  hint  of  inserting  a  quotation  in  the  epistle  was  not,  as 
it  may  be  suspected,  borrowed  from  seeing  the  like  prac- 
tice attributed  to  St.  Paul  in  the  history ;  and  it  is  this, 
that  in  the  epistle  the  author  cited  is  called  2iprophett  "  one 
*«  of  themselves,  even  a  prophet  of  their  own."  Whatever 
might  be  the  reason  for  calling  Epimenides  a  propjiet ; 
whether  the  names  of  poet  and  prophet  were  occasionally 


THE    EPISTLE    TO   TITUS. 


199 


convertible  ;  wliether  EpimeniJes  in  particuliir  had  ob-- 
tained  that  title,  as  Grotius  seems  to  have  proved  ;  of 
uheLhcr  the  appellation  was  given  to  him,  in  this  instance, 
as  having  delivered  a  description  of  die  Cretan  character, 
which  the  future  state  of  morals  among  them  verified  ; 
whatever  was  the  reason  (.and  any  of  these  reasons  will  ac- 
count for  tlie  variation,  suppossing  St.  Paul  to  have  been 
the  author),  one  point  is  plain,  namely,  if  the  epistle  had 
been  forged,  and  the  author  had  inserted  a  quotation  in  it 
merely  from  having  seen  an  example  of  the  same  kind  in  a. 
speech  ascribed  to  Si  Paul,  he  would  so  far  have  imitated 
his  original,  as  to  have  introduced  his  quotation  in  the 
same  manner,  that  is,  he  would  have  given  to  Epimenides 
the  title  which  he  saw  there  given  to  Aratus,  The  other 
side  of  the  alternative  is,  that  the  history  took  the  hint  from 
the  epistle.  But  that  the  author  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles had.  not  the  epistle  to  Titus  before  him,  at  least  that' 
he  did  not  use  it  as  one  of  the  documents  or  materials  of 
his  narrative  is  rendered  nearly  certain  by  the  observa- 
tlan,  that  tlie  name,  of  Titus  does  not  onca^  occur  in  his 
book. 

It  is  well  known,  and'was  remarked  by  St.  Jerome,  that 
the  apophthegm  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  pf  the  Corinthians, 
"  evil  communications  corrupt  good  manners,"  is  an  Iam- 
bic of  Menander's. 

fPki^HTif'  rM  ^JfJfrd*  cfAihiXi  xay.xt. 

Here  we  have  another  unaffected. instance  of  the  same 
turn  and  habit  of  composition.  Probably  there  are  some 
hitherto  unnoticed ;  and  more,  which  the  loss  of  the  origi- 
nal  authors  render  impossible  to  be  now  ascertained. 

No,.  II: 

There  exists  a  visible  affinity  between  the  Epistle  to  Ti- 
tus and  the  First  Epistle  to  Timothy.  Both  letters  were 
addressed  to  persans  left  by  the  writer  to  preside  in  their 
respective  churches  during  his  absence.     Both  letters  were. 


200  THS  EPISTLE  TO   TITUS. 

principally  occupied  In  describing  the  qualifications  to  be 
sought  for,  in  those  whom  they  should  appoint  to  offices  in 
the  church  ;  and  the  ingredients  of  this  description  are  in 
both  letters  nearly  the  same.  Timothy  and  Titus  are  like- 
wise cautioned  against  the  same  prevailing  corruptions, 
and,  in  particular,  against  the  same  misdirection  of  their 
cares  and  studies.  Tnis  affinity  obtains,  not  only  in  the 
subject  of  the  letters,  which,  from  the  similarity  of  situa- 
tion in  the  persons  to  whom  they  were  addressed,  might 
be  expected  to  be  somewhat  alike,  but  extends,  in  a  great 
variety  of  instances,  to  the  phrases  and  expressions.  The 
writer  accosts  his  two  friends  with  the  same  salutation, 
and  passes  on  to  the  business  of  his  letter  by  the  same 
transition. 

"  Unto  Timothy,  my  own  son  in  the  faiths  grace,  mercy, 
"  and  peace  from  God  our  Father,  and  Jesus  Christ  our 
**  Lord  ;  as  I  besought  thee  to  abide  still  at  Ephesus^  ivhen  I 
**  went  into  Macedonia^^^  &c.  i  Tim.  chap,  i.  2,  3. 

'*  To  Titus,  mine  otvn  son  after  the  common  faith,  grace, 
"  mercy,  and  peace  from  God  the  Father,  and  the  Lord 
"  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour ;  for  this  cause  left  I  thee  in 
^' Crete."     Tit.  chap.  i.  4,  5. 

If  Timothy  was  "  not  to  give  heed  to  fables  and  endless 
*^  genealogies,  which  minister  questions,"  i  Tim.  chap.  i.  4. 
Titus  also  was  to  "  avoid  foolish  questions,  and  genealogies^ 
and  contentions,''  (chap.  iii.  9)  ;  "  and  was  to  rebuke 
*'  them  sharply,  not  giving  heed  to  Jewish  fables  "  (chap.  i. 
14.)  If  Timothy  was  to  be  a  pattern  (rvTrag.)  1  Tim* 
chap  iv.  12  ;  so  was  Titus,  (chap.  ii.  7.)  If  Timothy 
was  to  "  let  no  man  despise  his  youth,"  i  Tim.  chap.  iv. 
12.  Titus  also  was  to  *'  let  no  man  despise  him,"  (chap, 
ii.  15.)  This  verbal  consent  is  also  observable  in  some 
very  peculiar  expressions,  which  have  no  relation  to  the 
particular  character  of  Timothy  or  Titus. 

The  phrase,  **  it  is  a  faithful  saying,"  (T<(rr«?  0  A«yd$,) 
made  use  of  to  preface  some  sentence  upon  which  the 
writer  lays  a  more  than  ordinary  stress,  occurs  three 


THE    EPISTLF     TO  TITUS,  2/Si 

times  in  the  First  Epistle  to  Timothy,  once  in  the  Second, 
and  once  in  the  epistle  before  us,  and  in  no  other  part  of 
St.  Paul's  writings  j  and  it  is  remarkable  that  these  three 
epistles  were  probably  all  written  towards  the  conclusion 
of  his  life  ;  and  that  they  are  the  only  epistles  which 
were  written  after  his  first  imprisonment  at  Rome. 

The  same  observation  belongs  to  another  singularity 
of  expression,  and  that  is  in  the  epithet,  "  sound,''  {vyi- 
uivav,)  as  applied  to  words  or  doctrine.  It  is  thus  used, 
twice  in  the  First  Epistle  to  Timothy,  twice  in  the  Sec- 
ond, and  three  times  in  the  Epistle  to  Titus,  beside  two 
cognate  expressions,  vyionvowxc  rv^TriTrii  T^nd  Xoyov  vym,  and 
it  is  is  found,  in  the  same  sense,  in  no  other  part  of  the 
New  Testament. 

The  phrase  '*  God  our  Saviour"  stands  in  nearly  the 
same  predicament.  It  is  repeated  three  times  in  the  First 
Epistle  to  Timotliy,  as  many  in  the  Epistle  to  Titus,  and 
m  no  other  book  of  the  New  Testament  occurs  at  all,  ex- 
cept once  in  the  Epistle  of  JuJe. 

Similar  terms  intermixed  indeed  with  others,  are  em- 
ployed, in  the  two  Epistles,  in  enumerating  the  qualifica- 
tions required  in  those  who  should  be  advanced  to  stations 
of  anthority  in  the  churcli. 

"A  bishop  must  hQ  hl^mdesSt  the  BusSand  of  one  wife, 
"vigilant,  sober,  of  good  behaviour,  ^/W/j  to  hospitality,  apt 
**  to  teach,  not  given  to  iviney  no  striker,  not  greedy  'f  filthy 
**  lucr£  ;  but  patient,  not  a  brawler,  not  covetous,  one  that 
"  ruleth  well  his  own  house,  having  his  children  in  sub- 
**  jection  with  all  gravity."*     i  Tim.  chap.  iii.  2 — 4. 

"  If  any  be  blameless,  the  husband  of  one  tvife,  having 
"  faithful  children,  not  accused  of  riot,  or  unruly ;  for  a 
"  bishop  must  be  blameless  as  the  stew-ard  of  God,  not 

*  **  As;  J<v  TOD  i'^io-KOTTov  uviTiXriTrrov  itven^  ^kx.^  yvvsiiKog  etv^^c6y 
vyiipet?\,iov,  <rA>p^ovx,  KOTfiioy,  <l>iXo^ivov,  ^i^tcKTiKoy^  /^yj  Trec^oivoy,  fcn- 


^02  THE    EPISTLE    TO     TITUS. 

**  selfwilled,  not  soon  angry,  not  given  to  lulney  no  stri!:er,  not 
"  given  to  filthy  lucre  ^  hut  a  lover  of  hospitality^  a  lover  of  good 
**  men,  sober,  just,  holy,  temperate/'f  Titus,  ch.  I.  6 — B. 

The  most  natural  account  which  can  be  given  of  these 
resemblances,  is  to  suppose  that  the  two  epistles  were  writ- 
ten nearly  at  the  same  time,  and  whilst  the  same  ideas 
and  phrases  dwelt  in  the  writer's  mind.  Let  us  enquire 
therefore,  whether  the  notes  of  time,  extant  in  the  two 
epistles,  ia  any  manner  favor  this  supposition. 

We  have  seen  that  it  was  necessary  to  refer  the  First 
Epistle  to  Timothy  to  a  date  subsequent  to  St.  Paul's 
first  imprisonment  at  Rome,  because  there  was  no  journey 
into  Macedonia  prior  to  that  event, which  accoided  with  tlie 
circumstance  of  leaving  "  Timothy  behind  at  Ephesus." 
The  journey  of  St.  Paul  from  Crete,  alluded  to  in  the  epis- 
tle before  us,  and  in  which  Titus  "  was  left  in  Crete  to 
**  set  in  order  the  things  that  were  wanting,"  must,  in 
like  manner,  be  carried  to  the  period  which  intervened 
between  his  first  and  second  imprisonment.  For  the  his- 
tory, which  reaches,  we  know,  to  the  time  of  St.  Paul's 
first  imprisonment,  contains  no  account  of  his  going  to 
Crete,  except  upon  his  voyage  as  a  prisoner  to  Rome  ; 
and  that  this  could  not  be  the  occasion  referred  to  ih  our 
epistle  is  evident  from  hence,  that  when  St.  Paul  wrote 
this  epistle,  he  appears  to  have  been  at  liberty  ;  whereas 
after  that  voyage,  he  continuejd  for  two  years  at  least  in  con- 
finement. Again,  it  is  agreed  that  St.  Paul  wrote  his 
First  Epistle  to  Timothy  from  Macedonia.  *'  As  I  be- 
"  sought  the  to  abide  still  at  Ephesus,  v^hen  I  went  (or 
•*  came)  into  Macedonia."  And  that  he  was  in  these  parts, 
i.  e.  in  this  peninsula,  when  he  wrote  the  Epistle  to  Titus, 

•j"  "  El  t;?  g',<y  flSvgyxA'OTa?,  ^ictc  yvvetiKi?  «fJ1^,  TiKVX  t^ay  7r<f«, 
^1)  £v  Kxruiyo^M  ocruriccgi  ij  uyvTrorxKru.  Ait  yu^  rov  iTTiTKOTTOf 
*cviy}cXyiTov  uvui,  aq  <s>icv   OiKovof^oVj   f^n   ecv6ec^r.,    f^r)    o^yiXov,    fin 


THE    EPISTLE   TO  TTTUS.  2O3 

is  rendered  probable  by  his  directmg  Titus  to  come 
to  him  to  Nicopolis.  "  When  I  shall  send  Artemas 
"  unto  thee  or  Tychicus,  be  diligent  (make  haste)  to 
*'  come  unto  me  to  Nicopolis  ;  for  I  have  determined  there 
"  to  winter."  The  most  noted  city  of  that  name  was  in 
Epirus,  near  to  Actium.  And  i  tliink  the  form  of  speak- 
ing, as  well  as  the  nature  of  the  case,  renders  it  probable, 
that  the  writer  vras  at  Nicopolis,  or  in  the  neighbourhood 
thereof,  when  he  dictated  this  direction  to  Titus. 

Upon  the  whole,  if  we  may  be  allowed  to  suppose  that 
St.  Paul,  after  his  liberation  at  Rome,  sailed  into  Asia, 
taking  Crete  in  his  way  ;  that  from  Asia,  and  from  Ephe- 
sus,  the  capital  of  that  country,  he  proceeded  into  Mace- 
d6nia,  and  crossing  the  peninsula  inhis  progress,  came  into 
the  neighbourhood  of  Nicopolis ;  we  have  a  route  which 
falls  in  with  every  thxing.  It  executes  the  intention  ex- 
pressed by  the  apostle  of  visiting  Colosse  and  Philippi  as 
soon  as  he  should  be  set  at  liberty  at  Rome.  It  allows 
him  to  leave  "  Titus  at  Crete,"  and  "  Timothy  at  Ephe- 
V  sus,  as  he  went  into  Macedonia  ;"  and  to  write  to  both 
not  long  after  from  the  peninsula  of  Greece,  and  probably 
the  neighbourhood  of  Nicopolis ;  thus  bringing  together 
the  dates  of  these  two  letters,  and  thereby  account- 
ing for  that  affinity  between  them,  both  in  subject  and  lan- 
guage, which  our  remarks  have  pointed  out.  I  confess 
that  the  journey  which  we  have  thus  traced  out  for  St. 
Paul,  is,  in  a  great  measure,  hypothetic  ;  but  it  should  be 
observed,  that  it  is  a  species  of  consistency,  which  seldom 
belongs  to  falsehood,  to  admit  of  an  hypothesis,  which  in- 
cludes a  great  number  of  independent  circtunstances  with* 
out  contradiction. 


CHAP.  XIV. 

THE    EPISTLE    TO    PHILEMON.. 
No,  L 

X  HE    singular    correspondency  between  this 
epistle  and  that  to  the  Colossians  has  been  remarked  al- 
ready.    An  assertion  in  the    Epistle   to  the  Colossians, 
viz,  that    "  Onesimus  was   one   of  them,"    is    verified 
by  the  Epistle  to  Philemon  ;  and  is  verified,  not  by  any 
mention  of  Colosse,  any  the  most  distant  intimation  con- 
cerning the  place  of  Philemon's  abode,  but  singly  by  stat- 
ing Onesimus  to  be  Philemon's  servant,  and  by  joining  in 
the  salutaion  Philemon  witli  Archlppus  ;  for  this  Archip- 
pus,  w^hen  we  go  back  to  the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  an  inhabitant  of  that  city,  and  as  it 
should  seem,  to  have  held  an  office  of  authority  In  that 
church.     The  case  stands  thus.     Take  the  Epistle  to  the 
Colossians  alone,  and  no  circumstance  is  discoverable  which 
makes  out  the  assertion,  that  Onesimus  was  "  one  of  theiji." 
Take  the  Epistle  to  Philemon    alone,  and  nothing  at  all 
appears  concerning  the  place   to  which   Philemon  or  hi§ 
servant  Onesimus  belonged.  For  any  thing  that  Is  said  in 
the  epistle,  Philemon  might  have  been  a  Thessalonian,  a 
Phillpplan,  or  an  Epheslan,  as  well  as  a  Colosslan.     Put 
the  two  epistles  together  and  the  matter  Is  clear.      The 
leader  perceives  a  junction  of  circumstances,  which  ascer. 
tains  the  conclusion  at  once.      Now,  all  that  Is  necessary 
to  be  added  in  this  place  is,tha:t  this  correspondency  evinces 
the  genuineness  of  one  epistle,  as  well  as  of  the  other.     It 
is  like  comparing  the  two  parts  of  a  cloven  tally.     Coin- 
cidence proves  the  authenticity  of  both. 


if 

THF    EPISTLE     TO     PHILEMON.  203' 

No.  II. 

And  this  coInci'Jence  is  perfect ;  not  only  in  the  main 
article  of  showing,  by  implication,  Onesimus  to  be  a  Co- 
lossian,  but  in  many  dependant  circumstances. 

t.  <*  I  beseech  thee  for  my  son  Onesimus  ;  whom  / 
•'  havs  sent  again/'  (ver.  lo — 12).  It  appeals  from  the 
Epistle  to  the  Colossians,  that,  in  trutli,  Onesimus  was 
sent  at  that  time  to  Colosse.  "  All  my  state  shall  Tychicus 
*'  declare,  whom  I  have  sent  unto  you  for  the  same  purpose, 
"  with  Oneslmiisy  a  faithful  and  beloved  brother."  Colos. 
chap.  iv.  7 — 9. 

2.  "  t  beseech  thee  for  my  son  Onesimus,  fivhom  I  have 
"  Begotten  in  my  bonds ^^^  (ver.  10).  It  appears  from  the 
preceding  quotation,  that  Onesimus  was  with  St.  Paul 
when  he  wrote  the  epistle  to  the  Colossians  ;  and  that  he 
wrote  that  epistle  in  imprisonment  is  evident  from  this  decla- 
ration in  the  fourth  chapter  and  third  verse ;  "  Praying 
"  also  for  us,  that  God  would  open  unto  us  a  door  of  ut- 
"  terance,  to  speak  the  mystery  of  Christ,  for  which  I  am 
"  also  in  bonds. ^^ 

3.  St.  Paul  bids  Philemon  prepare  for  him  a  lodging. 
"  For  I  trust,"  says  he,  "  that,  through  your  prayers,  I 
<*  shall  be  given  unto  you."  This  agrees  with  the  expec- 
tation of  speedy  deliverance,  which  he  expressed. in  another 
epistle  written  during  the  same  imprisonment.  "  Him," 
(Timothy)  "  I  hope  to  send  presently,  so  soon  as  I  shall 
**  see  how  it  will  go  with  me  ;  but  I  trust  in  the  Lord  that 
*'  I  also  myself  shall  come  shortly,**     Phil.  chap.  ii.  23,  24. 

4.  As  the  letter  to  Philemon,  and  that  to  the  Colossians, 
were  written  at  the  the  same  time,  and  sent  by  the  same 
messenger,  the  one  to  a  particular  inhabitant,  the  other  to 
the  church  of  Colosse,  It  may  be  expected  that  the  same, 
or  nearly  the  same,  persons  would  be  about  St.  Paul,  and 
join  with  him,  as  was  the  practice,  in  the  salutations  of  the 
epistle.      Accordingly  We  find  the  names  of  Aristarcbu?> 

S 


206  THE    IFISTLE     TG    PllILLMON. 

Marcus,  Epaphras,  Luke,  and  Derr.as,  in  both  epistles. 
Timothy,  who  is  joined  with  St.  Paul  in  the  superscription 
of  the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians,  is  joined  witli  ]iim  in  this. 
Tychicus  did  not  salute  Philemon,  because  he  accompani- 
ed the  epls^e  to  Colo&se,  and  would  undoubtedly  there  see 
him.  Yet  tlie  reader  of  the  Epistle  to  Philemon  will  re- 
mark one  considerable  diveislty  in  the  catalogue  of  salut- 
ing friends,  and  which  shows  that  the  catalogue  v/as  not 
copied  from  that  to  the  Colossians.  In  the  Epistle  to  the 
Colossians,  Aristarchus  is  called  by  St.  Paul  his  fellow 
prisoner,  Colos.  chap.  iv.  lo.  in  the  Epistle  to  Philemon, 
Aristarchus  is  mentioned  without  any  addition,  and  the  ti- 
tle of  fellow  peisoner  is  given  to  Epaphras.* 

And  let  it  also  be  observed,  that  notwithstanding  the 
close  and  circumstantial  agreement  between  the  two  epis- 
tles, this  is  not  the  case  of  an  opening  left  in  a  genuine 
•RTiting,  which  an  impostor  is  induced  to  fill  up  ;  nor  of  a 
refererice  to  some  writing  not  extant,  which  sets  a  sophist 
at  work  to  supply  the  loss,  in  like  manrier  as,  because  St. 
Paul  was  supposed,  Colos.  chap.  iv.  i6,  to  allude  to  an 
epistle  written  by  him  to  the  Laodiceans,  some  person  hzs 
fi-om  thence  taken  the  hint  of  uttering  a  forgery  under 
that  title.  The  present,  I  say,  is  not  that  case  ;  for  Phil- 
emon's name  is  not  mentioned  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Colos- 
sians ;  Onesimus'  servile  condition  is  no  where  hinted  at, 
anymore  than  his  crime,  his  flight,  or  tiie  place  or  time  of 
his  conversion.  The  story  therefore  of  the  epistle  if  it  be 
a  fiction,  is  a  fiction  to  which  the  autlior  could  not  have 
been  guided,  'by  i.tiy;tjiing  he  li!ad  read  "in  St;  t'auPs  g^en- 
uine  writirigsr.'    '  ^  -•  -  ^ 

*  Dr.  Benson  observes,  ?.nd  pv^rhups  truly,  that  the  appellation  of 
fellow  prisou^r,  as  applied  by  St.  Paul  to  Epaphras,  did  not  imply  thit 
they  wer  e  ia^.prisoned  together  at  the  iiax ;  any  more  than  your  cai- 
ling  a  perspB  your  fellp^  tray^lier,  imcorts  tliat  you  are  then  u|^p 
your  tray ela. . .  If. hi^  i had,  Vipon  a;iy  tpf^ier  *tcc?!4on^  ^^^l^^}^^  i^^^ 
you,  yoy  nxi^ht  ^fteny^ray8pe^^cj^,l^ll^|^|i^^^^^  It  i;^  'v  ' 

ivith' '■he  term  fellow  prisoner.     '  '  . 


THE   EPISTLE    TO    PHILEMON*.  207 

No.  Ill, 

-l;iiiqrno3DK  Dd  jr.iLt.-        ,  ^    ,  ,. 

_Ver.4,  ,|f»^     ["  *  tnj^^i^  iny,  God,   making  mention  of 

"  tjiee  aly^ays  in  my  pr^ye^s ;  .Jiiearmg  of  thy  love  and 
*'  faith,  which  thou  hast  |6w^r^,^tJber!^^Qrd  Jesus,  and  to- 
**  ward  all  saints.'*  ,,;,     .  ^     ■.     ,    j' 

**  Hearing  of  thy  love  and  faith. '^^  This  is  the  form  of 
speech  which  St.  Paul  was  wont  to  use  towards  those 
churches  which  he  had  not  seen,  or  then  visited  ;  see  Rom. 
chap.  i.  8  ;  Ephes.  chap.  i.  15  ;  Col.  chap.  i.  3,  4.  To- 
ward those  churches  and  persons,  with  whom  he  was  pre- 
viously acquainted)  he  employed  a  different  phrase  ;  as, 
**  I  thank  my  God  always  on  your  behalf,"  i  Cor.  chap. 
V„4  5  ^  Thess.  chap  i.  3  j  or,  <♦  upon  every  re7nembrance  of 
t*  you,''  Phih  chap.  i.  3 ;  i  Thess.  chap.  i.  2,  3 ;  2  Tim. 
chap.  i.  3  ;  and  never  speaks  oi  hearing  of  them.  Yet,  I 
think,  it  must  be  concluded,  from  the  nineteenth  verse  of 
this  epistle,  tliat  Philemon  had  been  converted  by  St. 
Paul  himself;  "  Albeit,  I  do  not  say  to  thee,  how  thou 
^\^,q'Wp;stfiintQ  me  even  thine  ownself  besides."  ,  Here  then  is 
a.  peculiarity.  Let  us  enquire  whether  the  epistle  sup- 
plies any  circumstance  which  will  account  for  it.  We 
have  seen  that  it  may  be  made  out,  not  from  the  epistle 
kself,  but  from  a  comparison  of  the  epistle  with  tliat  to 
the  Colossians,  that  Philemon  was  an  Inhabitant  of  Colos. 
5,6  ;  and  it  further  appears,  from  the  Epistle  to  the  Colos- 
sians, that  St.Paul  had  never  been  in  that  city  ;  "  I  v/ould 
"  that  ye  knew  what  great  conflict  1  have  for  you  and  for 
"  them  at  Laodicea,  and  for  as  many  as  have  not  seen 
<*  my  face  in  the  flesh.  Colos.  chap,  ii,  i.  Although, 
jlKeretbro,  ■  n  Sfc  Paul  had  formerly  xcisS,  with  Philemon 
it  some  other  place,  and  had  been  the  immediate  instru- 
ment of  his  conversion,  yet  Philemon's  faith  and  conduct 
afterwards,  inasmuch  as  he  lived  in  a  city  which  St.  Paul 
liad  never  visited,  could  only  be  known  tp  him  by  fame 
and  reputation. 


lOS  THE    rPISTLE  TO     PHILEMON}. 


No,  IV. 

The  tendenie^'an^Mfelicacy  ctf*  thts!- <ptstU  havfe  rlj^^ 
long  •admired.  "  Though  I  rright  be  iniich  bold  in 
<*  Christ  to  enjoin  thee  that  which  is  convenient,  yet  for 
"  love's  sake  I  ratlier  beseech  thee,  being  such  a  one  as 
«  Paul  the  aged,  and  now  also  a  prisoner  of  Jesus  Christ. 
"  I  beseech  thee  for  my  son  Onesimus,  whom  I  have  be- 
"  gotten  in  my  bonds.'*  There  is  something  certainly 
very  melting  and  persuasive  in  this,  and  every  part  of  the 
epistle.  Yet,  in  my  opinion,  the  character  of  St.  Paul 
prevails  in  it  throughout.  The  warm,  affectionate,  au- 
thoritative teacher  is  interceding  w^ith  an  absent  friend  for 
a  beloved  convert.  Pie  urges  his  suit  with  an  earnestness, 
befitting  perhaps  not  so  much  the  occasion,  as  the  ardor 
and  sensibility  of  his  own  mind.  Here  also,  as  every 
where,  he  shows  liimself  conscious  of  the  weight  and  dig- 
nity of  his  mission  ;  nor  does  he  suffer  Philemon  for  a  mo^ 
ment  to  forget  it.  "  I  mighi  be  much  bold  in  Christ  to 
"  enjoin  thee  that  which  is  convenient."  He  is  careful  al- 
so to  recall,  though  obliquely,  to  Philemon's  m.cmory,  the 
sacred  obligation  under  which  he  had  laid  him,  by  bring- 
ing to  him  the  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ  j  *'  I  do  not  say 
"  to  tliee,  how^  thou  owest  to  me  even  thine  own  self  be^ 
"  sides."  Without  laying  aside,  therefore,  the  apostoHc 
character,  our  author  softens  the  imperative  style  of  his 
address,  by  mixing  vtith  it  every  sentiment  and  considei^- 
tion  that  could  move  the  heart  of  his  correspondent.  A- 
ged  a»d  in  prison,  he  is  content  to  supplicate  and  entreat. 
Onesimus  was  rendered  dear  to  him  by  his  conversion  and 
his  services ;  the  child  of  his  affliction,  and  **  minis- 
"  tering  unto  him  in  the  bonds  of  the  gospel."  This 
ought  to  recommend  him,  whatever  had  been  his  fault,  to 
Philemon's  forgiveness.  "  Receive  him  as  myself,  as  my 
«'  own  bowels."  Every  thing  however,  should  be  volun- 
tary.    St.  Paul  WMS  determined  that  Philemon's  compli- 


,  THE    EPISTLE    TO     PHILEMON.  209 

ance  should  flow  5"rom  his  own  bounty.  '*  Without  thy 
'•  mind  would  I  do  nothing,  that  thy  benefit  should  not 
"  be  as  it  were  of  necessity,  but  willingly  ;"  trusting  nev- 
ertheless to  his  gratitude  and  attachment  for  the  perform . 
ance  of  all  that  he  requested,  and  for  more.  "  Having 
♦*  confidence  in  thy  obedience,  I  wrote  unto  thee,  knowing 
"  that  thou  wilt  also  do  more  than  I  say." 

St.  PauPs  discourses  at  Miletus  ;  his  speech  before  A- 
grippa  ?  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  as  hath  been  remark- 
ed (No.  VIII)  ;  tliatto  the  Galatians,  chap.  iv.  ii — 20  ; 
to  the  Philippians,  chap.  i.  29 — ch.  ii.  2  ;  the  Second  to 
the  Corinthians,  chap,  vi,  i — 13  ;  and  indeed  some  part 
or  other  of  almost  exery  epistle  exhibits  examples  of  a  sim- 
ilar application  to  tlie  feelings  and  affections  of  the  per- 
sons whom  hc/ addresses.  And  it  is  observable,  that  these 
pathetic  effusions,  drawn  for  the  most  part  from  his  own 
sufferings  and  situations,  usually  precede  a  command,  sof- 
ten a  rebuke,  or  mitigate  the  harshness  of  some  disagreea^ 
We  truth. 


S-2. 


baaktnsijdb  fi.> 


CHAP.  XV. 

THE    SUBSCRIPTIONS    OF    TUB 
EPISTLES. 

OlX  of  these  sulfscriptions  are  false  or  improbable ; 
that  is,  they  are  either  absolutely  contradicted  by  the  con- 
tents of  the  epistle,  or  are  difficult  to  be  reconciled  with 
them. 

I.  The  subscription  of  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthi- 
ans states  that  it  was  written  from  Philippi,  notwithstand- 
ing that,  in  the  sixteenth  chapter  and  the  eighth  verse  of 
the  epistle,  St.  Paul  informs  the  Corinthians,  that  he  will 
**  tairy  at  Ephesus  until  Pentecost  ;'*  and  notwithstanding 
that  he  begins  the  salutations  in  the  epistle,  by  telling  them 
"  the  churches  of  Asia  salute  you  ;"  a  pretty  evident  in- 
dication that  he  himself  was  in  Asia  at  this  time. 

II.  The  Epistle  to  the  Galatians  is  by  the  subscription 
dated  from  Rome  ;  yet,  in  the  epistle  itself,  St.  Paul  ex- 
presses his  surprise  "  that  they  were  jo  soon  removing  from 
'*  him  that  called  them  ;"  whereas  his  journey  to 
Rome  was  ten  years  posterior  to  the  conversion  of  the  Ga- 
latians. And  what,  I  think,  is  more  conclusive,  the  au- 
thor, though  speaking  of  himself  in  this  more  than  any 
other  epistle,  does  not  once  mention  his  bonds,  or  call  him- 
self a  prisoner  ;  which  he  had  not  failed  to  do  in  every  one 
of  the  four  epistles  written  from  that  city,  and  during  that 
imprisonment. 

Til.  The  First  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians  was  written, 
the  subscription  tells  us,  from  Athens  ;  yet  the  epistle  re- 
fers expressly  to  the  coming  of  Timotheus  from  Thessa- 
lonica  (chap.  iii.  6) ;  and  the  history  informs  us,  Acts 
xviii.  5,  that  Timothy  came  out  of  Macedonia  to  St.  Paul 
at  Corinth,  .■.--■ 

IV.  The  Secon\J  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians  is  dated. 


SUBSCRIPTIONS    OF     THE    EPISTLES.  2ir 

smd  without  any  discoverable  reason,  from  Athens  also. 
If  it  be  truly  the  second ;  if  it  refer  as  it  appears  to  do, 
(ch.  ii.  2,)  to  the  first,  and  the  first  was  written  from  Co- 
rinth, the  place  must  be  erroneously  assigned,  for  the  histo- 
ry does  not  allow  us  to  suppose  that  St.  Paul  after  he  had 
readied  Coi  inth,  went  back  to  Athens. 

V.  The  First  Epistle  to  Timothy  the  subscription  as- 
serts to  have  been  sent  fromLaodicea  ;  yet,  when  St.  Paul- 
writes,  "  I  besought  thee  to  abide  still  at  Ephesus,  tto^sw*- 
**  fiAv<^  UiMacKi^oviecv  (when  I  set  out  for  Macedonia,)"  the 
reader  is  naturally  led  to  conclude,  that  he  wrote  the  let- 
ter upon  his  arrival  in  that  country. 

VI.  The  Epistle  to  Titus  is  dated  from  Nicopolis  in 
Macedonia,  w^hilst  no  city  of  that  name  is  kn^-^wn  to  have 
existed  in  that  province. 

The  use,  and  the  only  use,  vi^hich  I  make  of  these  ob- 
servations, is  to  show,  how  easily  errors  and  contradic- 
tions steal  in  where  the  writer  is  not  guided  by  or'ginal 
knowledge.  There  are  only  eleven  distinct  assfp:nments 
of  date  to  St.  Paul's  Epistles  (for  the  four  written  from 
Rome  may  be  considered  as  plainly  eontempcrary)  ;  and 
of  these,  six  seem  to  be  erroneous.  I  do  not  attribute  any 
authority  to  these  subscriptions.  I  believe  ihem  to  have 
keen  conjectures  founded  sometimBS  upon  loose  traditions, 
but  more  generally  upon  a  consideration  of  some  -partic- 
ular text,  without  sufficiently  a^mparing  it  with  other  parts 
of  the  epistle,  with  different  epistles,  or  with  the  history. 
Suppose  t]ien  that  the  subscriptions  had  co-me  down  to  us 
as  authentic  pans  of  -the  ef>tst:les,  there  woi^ld  have  been 
moie  contniriettes  and  difficulties  arising  out  of  these  final 
v-erses,  than  from  all  tlte  test-of'the-  volunie.'  Ye:,  if  the 
epistles  had  fee^fvii^feH^^^he^'hble'hi^  Inv^  been  made 
up  of  the  same  'eterReiits  ki  ^os'e  of  which'  the  subscrip- 
tions are  camp  >sf;ii,  -  k.  tFadltlon,  coiijecture,  'rnd  infer- 
ence ;  and  it  w.'.vJ4  iiave  ye^lfimed  ^iiy'^' Accounted  for, 
kow,  whilst  so  maviy  errors  v^'^  •-  -'--'wdsd  in  the  conclud- 


212  SUE-SCRIPT10N3     Cf   THE    EPISTLES. 

mg  clauses  of  the  letters,  so  much  consistency  should  be 
preserved  in  otlier  parts. 

The  same  reflection  arises  from  observing  the  over- 
sights and  mistakes  which  learned  men  have  committed, 
when  arguing  upon  allusions  which  relate  to  time  and 
place,  or  when  endeavoring  to  digest  scattered  circumstan- 
ces into  a  continued  story.      It  is  indeed  the  same  case; 
for  these   subscriptions  must  be  regarded  a5  ancient  scho- 
lia, and  as  nothing  more.     Of  this  liability  to  error  I  can 
present  the  reader  with  a  notable  instance  ;    and  which  I 
bring  forward  for  no  other  purpose  than  that  to  which  I 
apply  the  erroneous  subscriptions.     Ludovicus  Capellus, 
in  that  part  of  his  Historia  Apostolica  Illustrata,  which  is 
entitled  De  Or  dine,   Epist.  Paul,  writing  upon  the  Second 
Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  triumphs  unmercifully  over  the 
want  of  sagacity  in  Baronius,  who,  it  seems,  makes  St. 
Paul  write  his  Epistle  to  Titus  from  Macedonia  upon  his 
second  visit  into  that  province  ;    whereas  it  appears  from 
the  history,  thatTitus,  instead  of  being  in  Crete,where  the 
epistle  places  him,  was  at  that  time  sent  by  the  apostle  from 
Macedonia  to  Corinth.      "  Animadvertere  est,"  says  Ca- 
pellus, "  magnam  hominis  illius  u^Xt^ixv,  qui  vult  Titum 
"  a  Paulo  in  Cretam  abductum,  illicque  relictum,  cum  in- 
"  de  Nicopolim  navigaret,  quem  tamen  agnoscit  a  Paulo 
<*  ex  Macedonia  missum  esse  Corinthum."     This  .proba- 
bly will  be  thought  a  detection  of  inconsistency  in  Baro- 
nius.    But  what  is  the  most  remarkable,  is,  that  in  the 
same  chapter  in  which  he  thus  indulges  his  conteihpt  of 
Baronius's  judgment,  Capellus  himself  falls  into  an  error 
of  the  same  kind,  and  more  gross  and  palpable  than  that 
which  he  reproves.     For  he  begins  the  chapter  by  stating 
the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  and  the  First  Epis^ 
lie  to  Timothy  to  be  nearly  cotemporary  ;    to  have  been 
both  written  during  the   apostle's  second  visit  into  Mace- 
donia ;  and  that  a  doubt  subsisted  concerning  tlie  imme- 
diate priority  of  their  dates  ;    "  Posterior  ad  eosdem  Co- 
«  rinthios  Epistola,  es  Prior  ad  Timotheum  certant  de. 


SUBSCRIPTIONS   OF  THE   EPISTLFS.  21^ 

^f.,priontate  et  sub  judice  lis  est ;  utraque  autem.  scripta 
"  est  paulo  postquam  Paulas  Ephesp  discessisset,  adeoqu^ 
**-,.duni  Macedoniam  peragraret,  sed  utra  tempore  praece- 
ffdat,  noa  liquet."  Now,  in  th^  first  place,  it  is  highly 
improbable  that  the  two  epistles  should  have  been  written 
either  nearly  togetlier,  or  during  the  same  journey  through 
Macedonia  ;  for  in  tlie  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  Timo- 
thy appears  to  have  been  'wltJj  St.  Paul ;  in  the  epistle  ad- 
.dressed  to  him,  to  have  -been  left  behind  at  Ephesus,  and 
not  only  left  behind,  but  directed  to  continue  there,  till  ^X, 
Paul  should  return  to  tliat  city.  In  the  second  place  it  is 
inconceivable,  that  a  question  should  be  proposed  concern- 
ing the  priority  of  date  of  the  two  epistles  ;  for,  when  St. 
Paul,  in  his  Epistle  to  Timothy,  opens  his  address  to  hin-^ 
by  saying,  "  as  I  besought  thee  to  abide  still  at  Ephesiis 
"  when  I  went  into  Macedonia,"  no  reader  can  doubt  but 
that  he  here  refers  to  the  last  interview  which  had  passed 
between  them  ;  that  he  had  not  seen  him  since  ;  whereas 
if  the  epistle  he  posterior  to  that  to  the  Corinthians,  yet 
written  upon  the  same  visit  into  Macedonia,  this  could  not 
be  true  ;  for  as  Timothy  was  along  with  St.  Paul  when  he 
wrote  to  the  Corinthians,  he  must,  upon  this  supposition, 
have  passed  over  to  St.  Paul  in  Macedonia  after  he  had 
been  left  by  him  at  Ephesus  and  must  have  returned  to 
Ephesus  again  before  the  epistle  was  written.  What: 
misled  Ludovicus  Capellus  was  simply  this,  that  he 
had  entirely  overlooked  Timothy's^  name  in  the  su- 
perscription of  the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthi- 
ans. Which  oversight  appears  not  only  in  the  quotation 
which  we  have  given,  but  from  his  telling  us,  as  he  dpes, 
hat  Timothy  came  from  Ephesus  to  St,  Paul  at  CQrinthf 
whereas  the.  superscription  proves  that  Timothy  was  al» 
,  ready  with  St.  ?aul  when  h^  wrote  to  the  CoriHthians  from. 
Macedonia* 


CHAP.  XVI. 

THE    CONCLUSION, 


Ii 


N  the  outset  of  this  enquiry,  the  reader  was  di-J 
rected  to  consider  the  Acts  of  tlis  Apostles  and  the  thir-' 
teen  Epistles  of  St.  Paul  as  certain  ancient  manuscripts, 
lately  discovered  in  the  cloaet  of  some  celebrated  library. 
We  have  adljered  to  this  view  of  the  subject.      Externa! 
evidence  of  every   kind  has  been  removed  out  of  sight ;' 
and  our  endeavors  have  been  employed  to  collect  the  in- 
dications of  truth  and  authenticity,  which  appeared  to  ex- 
ist in  ^thewltings  themselves,  and  to  result- froni  ^  c^ofe- 
parison  of  their  different  parts.     It  is  not  however  neces- 
sary to  continue  this  supposition  longer.     The  testimony 
which  other  remains  of  cotemporary,  or  die  monuments  of 
adjoining  ages  afford  to  the  reception,  notoriety,  and  pub- 
lic estimation  of  a  book,  form  no  doubt  the  first  proof  of 
its  genuineness.     And  in  no  books  whatever  is  this  proof" 
more  complete,  tiian  in  those  at  present  under  our  consid- 
eration. ■  The  enquiries  of  learned  men,  and,  above  all  oF 
the  excellent  Lardner,  who  never  overstates  a  point  of  ev-^' 
idence,  and  whose  fidelity  in  citing  his  authorities  has  in" 
no  one  instance  beeen   impeached,  have    establihed,  coii-** 
cerning  these  writings,  the  following  propositions. 

I.  That  in  the  age  immediately  posterior  to  that  in ' 
w^hich  St.  Paul  lived,  bis  letters  were  publicly  read  and"^ 
acknowledged.  ' 

Some  of  them  are  quoted  or  alluded  to  by  almost  eve- ' 
ry  Christian  writer  that  followed,  by  Clement  of  Rome," 
by  Hermas,  by  Ignatius,  by  Poly  carp,  disciples  or  cotem-  * 
poraries  of  the  apostles  ;  by  Justin  Martyr,  by  the  church-  ' 
es  of  Gaul,  by  Irenaeus,  by  Athenagoras,  by  Theophilus, 
by  Clement  of  Alexandria,  by  Hermias,  byTertullian,  who 
occupied  the  succeeding  age.     Now  when  ws  find  a  book 


coNCLUSior*.  215 

quoted  or  referred  to  by  an  ancient  author,  we  are  entitled 
to  concUide,  tliat  it  was  read  and  received  in  the  age  and 
country  in  which  that  author  lives.  And  this  conclusion 
dges  not,  in  any  degree,  rest  upon  the  judgment  or  char- 
acter of  the  author  making  such  reference.  Proceeding 
by  this  rule,  we  have,  concerning  the  First  Epistle  to  the 
Corinthians  in  particular,  within  forty  years  after  tlie  epis- 
tle was  written,  evidence,  not  only  of  its  being  extant  at 
Corinth,  but  of  its  being  known  and  read  at  Rome.  Cle- 
ment, bishop  of  that  city,  writing  to  the  church  of  Co- 
rinth, uses  these  words.  *'  Take  into  your  hands  the  E- 
**  pistle  of  the  blessed  Paul  the  apostle.  What  did  he  at 
**  first  write  unto  youin  the  beginning  of  the  gospel?  Verily 
**  he  did  by  the  Spirit  admonish  you  concerning  himself 
"  and  Cephas,  and  Apollos,  because  that  even  then  you 
*' -did  form  parties.*'* 

JJOiis  was  written  at  a  time  when  probably  some  must  have 
been  living  at  Corinth,  who  remembered  St.  Paul's  minis- 
try there  and  the  receipt  of  the  epistle.  The  testimony  is 
«^iU  more  valuable,  as  it  shows  that  the  epistles  were  pre- 
served in  the  churches  to  -^tch  t'-ey  were  sent,  and  that 
they  were  spread  and  propagated  from  them  to  the  rest 
of  the  Christian  community.  Agreeably  to  which  nat- 
tual  mode  and  order  of  their  publication,  1'ertullian,  a 
cpntury  afterwards,  for  proof  of  the  integrity  and  genu-'' 
inepess  of  the  apostolic  writings,  bids  "  any  one,  v/ho  is 
**■  willing  to  exercise  his  curiosity  profitably  in  the  busi- 
"^ness  of  their  salvation^  to  visit  the  apostolical  churches, 
*^«>.wliich  their  very  authentic  letters  are  recited,  ipsas  au- 
**  thentics  literjs  eorum  recitantur."  Then  he  goes  on  ;* 
*'  Is  Achaia  near  you  ?  You  have  Corinth.  If  you  are 
•'  not  far  from  Macedonia,  you  have  Thessalonica.  If 
**  you  can  go  to  Asia,  you  have  Ephesus  ;  but  if  you  are 
**  near  to  Italy,  you  have  Rome."-f  I  adduce  this  pas-^ 
sage  to  show,  that  the  distinct  churches  or  Christian  So-  ' 

* ,  See^  Larc^er,  vol^^xii.  p.,  7.1. 
'  f  ETardnerV  v<^   11*  ^p.  598^     " 


2l6  CONCI-USION. 

eltties,  to  which  St.  Paul's  Epistles  were  sent,  subsist«i4 
for  some  ages  afterwards;  that  his  several  epistles  were 
all  along  respectively  read  in  those  churches ;  that  Chris- 
tians at  large  received  them  from  those  churches,  and 
appealed  to  those  churches  for  their  originality  and  avi- 
thenticity. 

Arguing  in  like  manner  frotn  citations  and  allusions,  we 
liave,  within  the  space  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  from 
the  time  that  the  first  of  St.  Paul's  Epistles  was  written, 
proofs  of  almost  all  of  them  being  read,  in  Palestine,  Syria, 
^the  countries  of  Asia  Minor,  in  Egypt,  in  that  part  of  Af- 
rica which  used  the  Latin  tongue,  in  Greece,   Italy,   and 
Caul.*     I  do  not  mean  simply  to  assert,  that,  within  the 
space   of  a  hundred  and  fifty  years,  St.  Paul's  Epistles 
were   read   in  those  countries,  for   I    believe  that   they 
were,  read  and  circulated  from  the  beginning  ;  but  that 
proofs  of  their  being  so  read  occur  within  tliat  period. 
And  v/hen  it  is  considered  how  few  of  the  primitive  Chris, 
tians  wrote,  and  of  w^hat  was  written  how  much  is  lost, 
we  are  to  account  it  extraordinary,  or  rather  as  a  sure 
proof  of  the  extensiveness  of  the  reputation  of  these  writ- 
ings, and  of  the  general  respect  in  which  they  were  held, 
that  so  many  testimonies,  and  of  such  antiquity,  are  still 
extant.     *'  In  the  remaining  works  of  Irenasus,  Clement 
«*  of  Alexandria,  and  TertuUian,  there  are  perhaps  ii^ore 
«  and  larger  quotations  of  the  small  volume  of  tlie  NeW 
*«  Testament,  tJian  of  all  the  works  of  Cicero,  in  the  writings 
<«  of  ail  characters  for  several  ages."f  We  must  add,;  that 
the  Epistles  of  P<^i  come  in  for  their  full  sliare  of  this  ob- 
servation ;  and  that  all  the  thirteen  epistles,  except  th.at 
to  Philemon,  which  is. not  quoted  by  Irenaeus  or  Clement, 
and  which  probably  escaped  notice  merely  by  its  brevity, 
are  severally  cited,  and  expressly  recognized  as  St.  Paul's 
by  each  pf  theseChristian  writers.  TheEbionites,  an  early, 
though  inconsiderable  Chrlstiim  sect,  rejected  St.  Paul  and 
iiis  epistles  4    that  is,  they  rejected  these  epistles,  not  be- 

*  See  Lardner's    Recapitulation,  vol.  xii.  p.  k^, 

f  See  Larvlner's  Recapitulation,  Vol.  iii.  p,  jj 
:  I^ardner,  vo;.  ii.  p.  803. 


CONCLUSION.  217 

•fluse  they  were  not,  but  because  they  were  St.  Paul's ; 
and  because,  adhering  to  the  obligation  of  the  Jewish  law, 
they  chose  to  dispute  his  doctrine  and  authority.      Their 
suffrage  as  to  the  genuineness  of  the  epistles  does  not  con- 
tradict that  of  other  Christians.     Marcion,  an  heretical 
writer  in  the  former  part  of  the  second  century,  is  said  by 
TertuUian  to  have  rejected  three  of  the  epistles  which  we 
now  receive,  viz.  the  two  Epistles  to  Timothy  and  the 
Epistle  to  Titus.     It  appears  to  me  not  improbable,  that 
Marcion  might  make  some  such  distinction  as  this,  that 
no  apostolic  epistle  was  to  be  admitted  which  was  not 
read  or  attested  by  the  church  to  which  it  was  sent ;  for 
it  is  remarkable  that,  together  with  these  epistles  to  pri- 
vate persons,  he  rejected  also  the  catholic  epistles.     Now 
the  catholic  epistles  and  the  epistle  to  private  pesons  agree 
in  the  circumstance  of  wanting  this  particular  species  of 
attestation.     Marcion,  it  seems,  acknowledged  the  Epistle 
to  Philemon,  and  is  upbraided  for  his  inconsistency  in  doing 
so  by  TertuUian,  who  asks*  "  why,  when  he  received  a 
"  letter  written  to  a  single  person,  he  should  refuse  two 
"  to  Timothy  and  one  to  Titus  composed  upon  the  affairs 
<*  of  the  church  ?"  This  passage  so  far  favors  our  account 
of  Marcion's  objection,  as  it  shows  that  the  objection  was 
supposed  by  TertuUian  to  have  been  founded  in  something, 
which  belonged  to  the  nature  of  a  private  letter. 

Notliing  of  the  works  of  Marcion  remains.  Prol^ably 
he  was,  after  all,  a  rash,  arbitrary,  licentious  critic  (if  he 
deserved  indeed  the  name  of  critic),  and  who  offered  no 
reason  for  his  determination.  What  St.  Jerome  says  of 
him  intimates  this,  and  is  beside  founded  in  good  sense  ; 
speaking  of  him  and  Basilides,  "  If  they  had  assigned  any 
"  reasons,"  says  he,  "  why  they  did  not  reckon  these  epis» 
"  ties,"  viz.  the  first  and  second  to  Timothy  and  the  Episr 
tie  to  Titus,  "  to  be  the  apostle's,  we  would  have  endeav-* 
"  ored  to  have  answered  them,  and  perhaps  might  hav« 

*  liardner,  vol  xiv.  p.  455. 

T     , 


2l5  CONCLUSION. 

«  satisfied  the  reader  ;  but  when  they  take  upon  them> 
«  by  their  own  authority,  to  pronounce  one  epistle  to  be 
«  Paul's,  and  another  not,  they  can  only  be  replied  to  m 
«  the  same  manner.'!*  Let  it  be  remembered,  however, 
that  Marcion  received  ten  of  these  epistles.  His  authority 
tlierefore,  even  if  his  credit  had  been  better  than  it  is,  form* 
a  very  small  exception  to  the  unlfonnity  of  the  evidence. 
Of  Basilides  w^e  know  stiil  less  than  we  do  of  Marcion. 
The  same  observation  hov/evcr  belongs  to  hira,  viz.  tliat 
his  objection,  as  far  as  appears  from  this  passage  of  St.  Je- 
rome, was  coniined  to  the  three  private  epistles.  Yet  this 
is  the  only  opinion  which  can  be  said  to  disturb  the  con-  [ 
sent  of  the  two  first  centuries  of  the  Chistlan  era  ;  for  as 
to  Tadan,  who  is  reported  by  Jerome  alone  to  have  reject- 
ed some  of  St.  Paul's  Epistles,  the  extravagant  or  ratlier 
delirious  notions  into  which  he  fell,  talce  away  weight  and 
credit  from  his  judgment.  If,  indeed,  Jerome's  account 
of  this  circumstance  be  coiTect ;  for  it  appears  from  much 
older  writers  than  Jerome,  that  Tatlan  owned  and  used 
many  of  these  epistles.f 

II.  They,  who  in  those  ages  disputed  about  so  many 
other  points,  agreed  in  acknowledging  the  Scriptures 
now  before  us.  Contending  sects  appealed  to  them  in 
their  controversies  with  equal  and  unresei-ved  submission. 
When  they  w^ere  urged  by  one  side,  however  they  might  be 

-  interpieted  or  misinterpreted  by  the  other,  their  authority  ' 
was  not  questioned.      "  ReliquI  omnes,"   says   Irenaeus, 
speakiag  of  Ivftirclon,  "  falso  sclentlae  nomine  inflati,  scrip* 
*<  turas  quidem  coafiterttiir,  iiiterpretatioiies  vero  conver*  " 

III.  When  the  genuineness  of  some  other  writings  which 
tfere  In  circulation,  and  even  of  a  few  w^hich  are  now  re- 
ceived into  the  canon,  was  contested,  these  Were  neVer  cak" 
led  into  dispute.     Whatever  was  the  ol)jection,  or  wheth^  ' 
er,  in  trutli,  there  ever  was  any  real  objection  to  the  au- 

' ,         f  XArdnjer,,  yo\,  ti j  v..  p.  45  8, 

'"^  Lardner,  vol.!.  p.  313. 
^-  is&a.  advers,  Hser,  (quoted  by  Lardner, '^pL  kv.  p.  4»i' 


CONCLUSION.  219 

thenticlty  of  the  Second  Epistle  of  Peter,  the  Second  and 
Third  of  John,  the  Epistle  of  James,  or  that  of  Jude,  or 
to  die  book  of  the  Revelations  of  St.  John,  the  doubts  that 
appear  to  have  been  entertained  concerning  them,  exceed- 
ingly strengdien  the  force  of  the  testimony  as  to  tliose' 
writings,  about  which  there  was  no  doubt ;  because  it 
shows,  that  the  m^uter  was  a  subject,  amongst  the  early 
Christians,  of  examination  and  discussion  ;  and  that, 
where  there  was  any  room  to  doubt,  they  did  doubt. 

What  Eusebius  hath  left  upon  the  subject  is  directly  to  ? 
the  purpose  of  this  observation.  Eusebius,  it  is  well 
known,  divided  the  ecclesiastical  writings  which  were  ex- 
tant in  his  time  into  three  classes  ;  the  "  civuvn^Arccj  ^^'• 
"  contradicted,"  as  he  calls  them  in  one  chapter  or  "  scrip* 
"  tures  universally  acknowledged,"  as  he  calls  them  in 
afiqther-5  the;  "cpntro  verted,  yet  well  known  and  approv- 
"  ed  by  many;**  and  **  the  spurious."  What  were  the 
shades  of  difference  in  the  books  of  the  second,  or  in  those 
of  the  third  class ;  or  what  it  was  precisely  that  he  meant 
by  the  term  spurlousi  it  is  not  necessary  in  this  place  to  en- 
quire. It  is  sufficient  for  us  to  find,  that  the  thirteen  epis- 
tles of  St.  Paul  are  placed  by  him  in  the  first  class  with- 
out any  sort  of  hesitation  or  doubt. 

It  is  further  also  to  be  collected  from  the  chapter  in 
which  this  distinction  is  laid  down,  that  the  method  made- 
use  of  by  Eusebius,  and  by  the  Christians  of  his  time,  viz. 
the  <:lose  of  the  third  century,  in  judging  concerning  the 
sacred  authority  of  any  books,  was  to  enquire  after  and 
consider  the  testimony  of  those  who  lived  near  the  age  of 
tl:ie.  apostle  s.f 

IV.  Th^t  no  ancient  writing,  which  is  attested  as  tiiese 
e^j^tle^.^j^rc,  hath  had  its  authenticity  disproved,  or  is  ja; 
faci,  qiiesuioned.  The  controversies  which  have  been 
mov,ed^(:oQcernii\g  suspected  writings,  as  the  epistles,  for 
insta'iice,  of  Phalaris,  or  the  eighteen  epistles  of  Cicero, 
begin  by  showing  diat  this  attestation  i&  wanting.     That 


Lardner,  vol.  viii.  p^  106. 


220  CONCLUSION. 

■■  •  .  -  ^ 

being  proved,  the  question  is  thrown  back  upon  internal 
marks  of  spuriousness  or  authenticity  ;  and  in  these  the 
dispute  h  occupied.  In  which  disputes  it  is  to  be  observ- 
ed, that  the  contested  writings  arc  commonly  attacked  by 
arguments  drawn  from  some  opposition  to  v/hich  they  be- 
tray to  "  authentic  history,"  to  "  true  epistles,"  to  "  the 
**  real  sentiments  or  circumstances  of  the  author  whom 
**  they  personate  ;"*  which  authentic  Kiistory,  which  true 
epistles,  which  real  sentiments  themselves,  are  no  other 
than  ancient  documents,  whose  early  existence  and  recep- 
tion can  be  proved,  in  the  manner  in  which  the  writings 
before  us  are  traced  up  to  the  age  of  their  reputed  author, 
or  to  ages  near  to  his.  A  modern  who  sits  down  to  com- 
pose the  history  of  some  ancient  period,  has  no  stronger 
evidence  to  appesll  to  for  the  most  confident  assertion,  or 
the  most  undisputed  fact,  tliat  he  delivers,  than  writings, 
whose  genuineness  is  proved  by  the  same  medium  through 
which  we  evince  the  authenticity  of  ours.  Nor,  whilst  he 
can  have  recourse  to  such  authorities  as  these,  does  he  ap- 
prehend any  uncertainty  in  his  accounts,  from  the  suspi- 
cion of  spuriousnesG  or  imposture  in  his  materials. 

V.  It  cannot  be  shown  that  any  forgeries,  properly  so- 
calledjf  that  is,  writings  published  under  the  name  of  the 
person  who  did  not  compose  them,  made  their  appear- 
ance in  the  first  century  of  the  Christian  era,  in  which 
century  these  epistles  undoubtedly  existed.  I  shall  set 
down  under  this  proposition  the  guarded  words  of  Lard- 
ner  himself.  "  There  are  no  quotations  of  any  books  of 
*•  them  (spurious  and  apocryphal  books)  in  the  apostoli- 
<«  cal  fathers,  by  whom  I  mean  Barnabas,  Clement  of 
*«  Rome,  Hermas,  Ignatius,  and  Polycarp,  whose  writ- 
«  ings  reach  from  the  year  of  our  Lord  70  to  the  year 

*  See  the  tracts  written  in  the  controversy  between  Tunstal  and 
Middleton  upon  certain  suspected  epistles  ascribed  to  Cicero. 

f  I  believe  that  there  is  a  great  deal  of  truth  in  Dr.  Lardner's  ob- 
servations, that  comparatively  few  of  those  books,  which  we  call 
apocryphal,  were  stridly  and  originally  forgeries.     See  Lardner,  vcl 
:ai.  p.  16  f. 


COHCLUSlOSf.  22  1 

<^  io8.       /  say  this  confukntlyy  because  I  think  it  has  been 
^  pro  veil."'* 

Nor  whan  they  did  appear  w>iere  they  much  used  by 
the   primitive  Christians.        "  Irenxas  quotes  not  any 
♦♦  of  these  books.      He  mentions  some  of  them,  but  he 
^  never  quotes  them.      The  same  may  be  said  of  Tertul- 
<*  lian  ;  he  has  mentiond  a  book  called   *  Acts  of  Paul 
Mund  Thecla ;'  but  it  is  only  to  condemn  it.     Clement  of 
^«i*  Alexandria  and  Origen  have  mentioned  and  quoted  ^ev^ 
-^*  gral  such  books,  but  never  as  authority,  and  sometim€;s 
*<,"\yith  express  marks  of  dislike.     Eusebius  quotes  no  sueh 
L^.  books  in  any  of  his  works.     He  has  mentioned  them  in- 
Jfjdeodf  but  how?     Not  by  way  of  approbation,  but  to 
.J^show  that  they  were  of  little  or  no  value;  and  that  they 
"never  were  received  by  the  sounder  part  of  Christians,'* 
Now,  a  with  this,  which  is  advanced  after  the  most  mi- 
nute and  diligent  examination,  we  compare  what  the  same 
cautious  writer  had  before  said  of  our  received  scriptures, 
«  that  in  tjie  works  of  three  only  of  tlie  above  mentioned 
«;*. fathers,  there  are  raojr&  and  larger  quotations  of  the 
..?V§.mall  volume  of  the  New  Testament,  than  of  all  the 
M  work^  of  Cicero  in  the  writers  of  all  characters  for  seve- 
•^  f^  ages  ;'*    and  if,  wuth  the  mai'ks  of  obscurity  or  con- 
«ig»mation,  which  accompanied  the  mention  of  the  several 
apocryphal  Christian  writings,  when  they  happened  to  be 
.  ?i>eiitione4    at  all,  we  contrast  what  Dr.  Lardner's  work 
:gpmpletely  and  iji  detail  ma]^es  out  concerning  the  writ- 
-Mgs  whi<;h  we  defee4>  an(}  wh>f,  having  so  made  out,  he 
"t.^hpuglit  himself  authorized  in  his  conclusion  to  assert,  thg-t 
^ik^sQ  books  were  not  only  received  from  the  beginning,  but 
3[f€4|:eiv^d  with  the  greatest  respect ;    have  been  publicly 
and  solemnly  read  in  the  as&emblies  of  Christians  through- 
m\t  tiie  world,  in  every  age  from  that  time  to  this ;  early 
translated  into  the  languages  of  divers  countries  and  ]^eQm 
pie  i  cpipineptaxies  writ;:en  to  explain  and  illustrate  UwJttj. 

^  *Lirclner,  vol.xii.  p,  15^, 

T^ 


222.  CONCLUSION, 

quoted  by  way  of  proof  in  all  arguments  of  a  religious  na- 
ture  ;  recommended  to  the  perusal  of  unbelievers,  as  con- 
taining the  authentic  account  of  the  Christian  doctrine  ; 
when  we  attend,  I  say,  to  this  representation,  we  perceive 
in  it,  not  only  full  proof  of  the  early  notoriety  of  these 
books,  but  a  clear  and  sensible  line  of  discrimination,  which 
separates  these  from  the  pretensions  of  any  others.  t 

The  Epistles  of  St.  Paul  stand  particularly  free  of  any 
doubt  or  confusion  that  might  arise  from  this  source.  Un- 
til the  conclusion  of  the  fourth  century,  no  intimation  ap- 
pears of  any  attempt  whatever  being  made  to  counterfeit 
these  writings  ;  and  then  it  appears  only  of  a  single  and 
obscure  instance.  Jerome,  who  flourished  in  tlie  year  392^ 
has  this  expression.  "  Legunt  quidam  et  ad  Laodicen- 
"  ses  ;  sed  ad  omnibus  exploditur ;''  there  is  also  an  Epis- 
tle to  the  Laodiceans,  but  it  is  rejected  by  every  body.* 
Tlieodoret,  who  wrote  in  the  year  423,  speaks  of  this  epis- 
tle in  the  same  terms.f  Beside  these,  I  know  not  wheth- 
er any  ancient  writer  mentions  it.  It  was  ceitainly  unno- 
ticed during  the  three  first  centuries  of  the  Church ;  and 
when  it  came  afterwards  to  be  mentioned,  it  was  mention- 
ed only  to  show,  that,  tliough  such  a  writing  did  exist,  it 
obtained  no  credit.  It  is  probable  tlaat  the  forgery  to  which 
Jerome  alludes,  is  the  epistle  which  we  riov/  have  under 
that  title.  If  so,  as  hath  been  already  observed,  it  is  noth- 
ing more  than  a  collection  of  sentences  from  the  genuine 
Epistles  ;  and  was  perhaps,  at  first,  rather  the  exercise  of 
some  idle  pen,  than  any  serious  attempt  to  impose  a  for- 
gery upon  tlie  public.  Of  an  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians 
under  St.  Paul's  name,  which  was  brought  into  Europe  in 
the  present  century,  antiquity  is  entirely  silent.  It  was 
unheard  of  for  iilxteen  centuries  ;  and  at  this  day,  though 
it  be  extant,  and  was  first  found  in  the  Armenian  lan- 
guage, it  is  not,  by  the  Christians  of  that  country,  receiv- 
ed into  their  scriptures.      I  hope,  after  this,  that  there  is 

*  Lardner,  vol.  x.  p.  103. 
f  Lardner,  vol.  xi.  p.  88. 


CONCLUSION.  22  J 

BO  reader  who  will  think  there  is  any  competition  of  credit, 
or  of  external  proof,  between  these  and  the  received  Epis- 
tles ;  or  rather,  who  will  not  acknowledge  the  evidence  of 
autlienticity  to  be  confirmed  by  the  want  of  success  which 
attended  imposture. 

When  we  take  into  our  hands  the  letters  which  the  suf- 
frage and  consent  of  antiquity  hatli  thus  transmtrted  to  us, 
the  first  thing  that  strikes  our  attention  is  the  air  of  reali- 
ity  and  business,  as  well  as  of  seriousness  and  conviction, 
which  pervades  the  whole.  Let  the  sceptic  read  them. 
If  he  be  not  sensible  of  these  qualities  in  them,  the  argu- 
ment can  have  no  weight  with  him.  If  he  be  ;  if  he  per- 
ceive in  almost  every  page  the  language  of  a  mind  actuat- 
ed by  real  occasions,  and  operating  upon  real  circumstan- 
ces, I  would  wish  it  to  be  observed,  that  the  proof  which 
arises  from  this  perception  is  not  to  be  deemed  occult  or 
imaginary,  because  it  is  incapable  of  being  drawn  out  in 
words,  or  of  being  conveyed  to  the  apprehension  of  the 
reader  in  any  other  way,  than  by  sending  him  to  the  books 
themselves. 

And  here,  in  its  proper  place,  comes  in  the  argument 
which  it  has  been  the  office  of  these  pages  to  unfold.  St. 
Paul's  Epistles  are  connected  with  the  history  by  their 
particularity,  and  by  the  numerous  circumstances,  which 
are  found  in  them.  When  we  descend  to  an  examination 
and  comparison  of  these  circumstances,  we  not  only  ob- 
serve the  history  and  the  epistles  to  be  independent  docu- 
ments unknovni  to,  or  at  least  unconsulted  by  each  o':her, 
but  we  find  the  substance,  and  oftentimes  very  minute  ar- 
ticles, of  the  history,  recognized  in  the  epistles,  by  allu- 
sions and  references,  which  can  neither  be  imputed  to  de- 
sign, nor,  without  a  foundation  in  truth,  be  accounted  for 
by  accident,  by  hints  and  expressions,  and  single  words 
dropping  as  it  were  fortuitously  from  tlie  pen  of  the  writ- 
er, or  drawn  forth,  each  by  some  occasion  proper  to.thfe- 
place  in  which  it  occurs,  but  widely  removed  from  any 
view  to  consistency  or  agreement.  .  These,  we  know,  are 


224  CONCLUSION. 

effects  which  reality  naturally  produces,  but  which,  with-r 
out  reality  at  the  bottom,  can  hardly  be  conceived  to 
exist. 

When  therefore,  with  a  body  of  external  evidence,. 
which  is  relied  upon,  and  which  experience  proves  may 
safely  be  relied  upon,  in  appreciating  the  credit  of  ancient 
writings,  we  combine  characters  of  genuineness  and  ong* 
inality  which  are  not  found,  and  which,  in  the  nature  and- 
order  of  things,  cannot  be  expected  to  be  found  in  spuri- 
ous compositiong  ;  whatever  difficulties  we  may  meet  with 
in  other  topics  of  tlie  Christian  evidence,  we  can  have  lit*- 
tie  in  yielding  our  assent  to  the  following  conclusions  ;  that 
there  was  such  a  person  as  St.  Paul ;  that  he  lived  ia 
the  age  which  we  ascribe  to  him ;  tliat  he  went  about 
preaching  the  religion  of  which  Jesus  Christ  was  the  found* 
er ;  and  that  the  letters  which  we  now  read  were  actual*' 
ly  written  by  him  upon  the  subject,  and  in  the  course  of 
his  ministry. 

And  if  It  be  true  that  we  are  in  possession  of  the  very 
letters  which  St.  Paul  wrote,  let  us  consider  what  con^- 
mation  they  afford  to  the  Christian  history.  In  my  opinion 
thev  substantiate  the  whole  transaction.  The  great  ob- 
ject of  modern  research  is  to  come  at  the  epistolary  corres- 
pondence of  the  times.  Amidst  the  obscurities,  the  silence, 
or  the  contradictions  of  history,  if  a  letter  can  be  found,, 
we  regard  it  as  tlie  discovery  of  a  landmark  ;  as  that  by 
which  we  can  correct,  adjust,  or  supply  the  imperfeGtioj>s 
and  uncertainties  of  other  accounts.  One  cause  of  the  ^ft' 
perior  credit  v/hich  is  attributed  to  letters  is  this,  that  thfe 
facts  which  they  disclose  generally  come  out  incidental^, 
and  therefore  without  design  to  mislead  the  public  by  false 
or  exaggerated  accounts.  This  reason  may  be  applied  to 
St.  Paul's  Epistles  with  as  much  justice  as  to  any  letters 
whatever.  Nothing  could  be  further  from  the  intention 
of  the  Vv-riter  than  to  record  any  part  of  his  history.  That 
his  history  was  hi  fact  made  public  by  these  letterSj  Un^ 
has  by  tlie  same  means  been  transmitted  to  fatwr-e  ag^4iB 


CONCLUSION. 


a  secondary  and  uthoughtof  effect.  The  sincerity  there- 
fore of  the  apostle's  declarations  cannot  reasonably  hz  dis- 
puted ;  at  least  we  are  sure  that  it  was  not  vitiated  by 
any  desire  of  setting  liimself  off  to  the  public  at  large. 
But  tliese  letters  form  a  part  of  the  muniments  of  Christ- 
ianity, as  much  to  be  valued  for  tlieir  contents,  as  for  their 
originality.  A  more  inestimable  treasure  the  care  of  an- 
tiquity could  not  have  sent  down  to  us.  Beside  the  proof 
they  ailord  of  the  general  reality  of  St.  Paul's  history,  of 
th^  knowledge  which  the  author  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles had  obtained  of  that  history,  and  the  consequent  prob- 
ability that  he  was,  what  he  professes  himself  to  have  been, 
a  companion  of  the  apostle's  ;  beside  the  support  they  lend 
to  these  important  inferences,  they  meet  specifically  some 
of  the  principiil  objections  upon  which  the  adversaries  of 
Christianity  have  thought  proper  to  rely»  In  particular 
they  show, 

I.  That  Christianity  was  not  a  story  set  on  foot  amidst 
the  confusions  which  attended  and  immediately  preceded 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  ;  v/hen  many  extravagant  re- 
ports were  circulated,  when  men's  minds  were  broken  by 
terror  and  distress,  when  amidst  the  tumults  that  surround- 
ed them  enquiry  was  impracticable.  These  letters  show 
incontestably  that  the  religion  had  fixed  and  established 
itself  before  this  state  of  things  took  place. 

II.  Whereas  it  hath  been  insinuated,  that  our  gospels 
may  have  been  made  up  of  reports  and  stories,  which 
were  current  at  the  time,  we  may  observe  that,  with  res- 
pect t;o  the  Epistles,  this  is  impossible.  A  man  cannot 
write  the  history  of  his  own  life  from  reports  ;  nor,  what 
is  the  same  thing,  be  led  by  reports  to  refer  to  passages 
and  transactions  in  which  he  states  himself  to  have  been, 
immediately  present  and  active.  I  do  not  allow  that  tliis 
insinuation  is  applied  to  the  historical  part  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament with  any  colour  of  justice  or  probability  ;  but  I 
say,  that  to  the  Epistles  it  is    not  applicable  at  all. 

m.  These  letters  prove  that  the  converts  to  Christian- 


22(J  CONCLUSION. 

ity  were  not  drawn  from  the  barbarous,  the  mean,  or  the 
ignorant  set  of  men,  whieh  the  representations  of  infideh*-/ 
ty  would  sometimes  make  them.     We  learn  from  letters 
the  character  not  only  of  the  writer,  but,  in  some  measure 
of  the  persons  to  whom  they  are  written.      To  suppose  »   . 
that  tliese  letters  were  addressed  to  a  rude  tribe,  incapable 
of  thought  or  reflection,  is  just  as  reasonable  as  to  suppose  ^ 
Locke's  Essay  on  the  Human  Understanding  to  have  been,'' 
"written  for  the  instruction  of  savages.     Whatever  may  be\ 
thought  of  these  letters  in  other  respects,  either  @f  diction  ^ 
or  argument,  they  are  certainly  removed  as  far  as  possi- 
ble from  the  habits  and  comprehension  of  a  barbarous 
people. 

IV.  St.  PauPs  history,  I  mean  so  much  of  it  as  may  be 
collected  from  his  letters,  is  so  impUcated  with  that  of  the 
other  apostles,  and  with  the  substance  indeed  of  the  Chris^'*^ 
tian  history  Itself,  that  I  apprehend  it  will  be  found  Impos-'  ., 
sibie  to  admit  St.  PauPs  story  (T  do  not  speak  of  the  mi-  ^ 
raculouspart  of  it)  to  be  true,  and  yet  to  reject  the  rest  as 
fabulous.       For  instance,  can  any  one  believe  that  there 
was  such  a  man  as  Paul,  a  preacher  of  Christianity  intlie 
age  which  we  assign  to  him,  and  not  believe  that  there 
were  also  at  the  same  time  such  men  as  Peter  and  James, 
and  other  apostles,  who  had  been  companions  of  Christ 
during  his  life,  and  who  after  his  deatli  published  and 
avowed   the   same  things   concerning   him  which  Paul 
taught  I  Judea,  and  especially  Jerusalem,  was  the  scene  o{ 
Christ's  ministry.     The  witnesses  of  his  miracles  lived 
there.      St.  Paul  by  his  own  account,  as  well  as  that  of 
his   historian,   appears   to    have   frequently   visited  that 
city  J  to  have  carried  on  a  communication  with  tlie  church 
there  j  to  have  associated  witli  the  rulers  and  elders  of 
that  church,  who  were  some  of  them  apostles ;  to  have  act- 
ed, as  occasions  offered,  in  correspondence,  and  sometimes 
in  conjunction  with  them.     Can  It,  after  this,  be  doubted, 
but  that  the  religion  and  the  general  facts  relating  to  it, 
which  St.  Paul  appears  by  his  letters  to  have  delivered  to 


CONCLUSIOM.  227 

the  several  churches  which  he  establised  at  a  distance  were 
at  the  same  time  taught  and  published  at  Jerusalem  itself, 
tlie  place  where  tlie  business  was  transacted ;  and  taught 
and  published  by  those  who  had  attended  the  founder  of 
the  Institution  in  his  miraculous,  or  pretendedly  miracu- 
lous ministry  ? 

It  is  observable,  for  so  it  appears  both  in  the  Epistles 
^nd  from  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  that  Jerusalem,  and 
the  society  of  believers  in  that  city,  long  continued  the  cen- 
tre from  which  the  missionaries  of  the  religion  issued  with 
Which  all  other  churches  maintained  a  correspondence  and 
connection,  to  which  they  referred  their  doubts,  and  to 
whose  relief,  in  times  of  public  distress,  they  remitted 
their  charitable  assistance.  This  observation  I  think  ma- 
terial, because  it  proves  tliat  this  was  not  the  case  of  giv- 
mg  our  accounts  In  one  country  of  what  is  transacted  in 
another,  without  affording  the  hearers  an  opportunity  of 
knowing  whether  the  things  related  were  credited  by  any, 
or  even  published,  in  the  place  where  they  at^  reported  to 
have  passed. 

y.  St.  Paul's  letters  furnish  evidence  (and  What  better 
evidence  than  a  man's  own  letters  can  be  desired  ?)  of  the 
soundness  and  sobriety  of  his  judgment.  His  caution  in 
distinguishing  between  the  occasional  suggestions  of  in- 
spiration, and  the  ordinary  exercise  of  his  natural  under- 
standing, is  without  example  in  the  history  of  human  en- 
thusiasm. His  morality  is  every  where  calm,  pure, 
and  rational  j  adapted  to  the  condition,  the  activity,  and 
the  business  of  social  life,  and  of  its  various  relations ;  free 
from  the  over  scrupulousness  and  austerities  of  supersti- 
tion, and  from,  what  was  more  perhaps  to  be  apprehend- 
ed, the  abstractions  of  quietism,  and  the  soarings  and  ex- 
travagancies of  fanaticism.  His  judgment  concerning  a 
hesitating  conscience  j  his  opinion  of  the  moral  indlfTeren- 
ry  of  many  actions,  yet  of  the  prudence  and  even  the  duty 
of  compliance,  where  noncompliance  would  produce  evil 
effects  on  the  minds  of  persons  who  observed  it,  is  "as  cor- 


22$  CONCLUSION. 

rect  and  just  as  the  most  liberal  and  enlightened  moralist 
could  form  at  this  day.  The  accuracy  of  modern  ethics 
has  found  notliing  to  amend  in  these  determi  nations. 

What  lord  Lyttelton  has  remarked  of  the  preference  as- 
cribed by  St.  Paul  to  inward  rectitude  of  principle  above 
every  other  religious  accomplishment  is  very  material  to 
our  present  purpose.    "  In  his  First  Epistle  the  to  Corin- 
"  thians,   chap.    xiii.    i — 3,    St   Paul   has  these  words  ; 
"  Though  I  speak  iv'ith  the  tongue  of  men  and  of  angels ^  and 
**  ha'ue  not  charity,  I  am  become  as  sounding  brass,  or  a  tink' 
"  ling  cymbal.       And  though  I  ha'ue  the  gift  of  prophecy ,  and 
**  understand  all  mysteries  and  all  knowledge,  and  though  I  have 
*•  all  faith,  so  that  I  could  remove    mcuniains,  and  have  not 
"  charity,  I  am  nothing,     And  though  I  beJoiv   all  my  goods 
**  to  feed  the  poor,  and  though  I  give  my  body  to  be  burned,  and 
**  have  not  charily,  it  profiteth  me  nothing.       Is  this  the  lan- 
**  guage  of  enthusiasm  ?  Did  ever  enthusiast  piefer  that  u- 
*'  niversal  benevolence^which  comprehendeth  all  moral  vir- 
"  tues,  and  which,  as  appeareth  by  the  following  verses,  is 
<*  meant  by  charity  here ;  did  ever  entliusiast,  I  say,  prefer 
«*  that  benevolence"  (which  we  may  add  is  attainable  by 
every  man)   "  to  faith  and  to  miracles,  to  those  religious 
*"  opinions  v^hich  he  had  embraced,  and  to  those  super- 
**  natural  graces  and  gifts  which  he  imagined  he  had  ac- 
*•  quired  ;  nay  even  to  the  merit  of  martyrdom  ?  Is  it  not 
**  tlie  genius  of  enthusiasm  to  set  moral  virtues  infinitely 
"  below  the  merit  of  faith  ;    and  of  all  moral  virtues  to 
"  value  that  least  which  is  most  particularly  enforced  by 
**  St.  Paul,  a  spirit  of  candor,  moderation,  and  peace  ? 
*'  Certainly  neither  the  temper  nor  the  opinions  of  a  man 
"  subject  to  fanatic  delusions  are  to  be  found  in  this  pas- 
"  sage."      Lord  Lyttelton's  Considerations  on  the  Con- 
version, &c. ' 

I  see  no  reason  therefore  to  question  the  integrity  of  his 
understanding.  To  call  him  a  visionary,  because  he 
appealed  to  visions,  or  an  enthusiast,  because  he  pre- 
tended to  inspiration,  is  to  take  the  whole  question  for 


CONCLUSION.  219 

granted.  It  is  to  take  for  granted  that  no  such  visions 
or  inspirations  existed  ;  at  least  it  is  to  assume,  contrary 
to  his  own  assertions,  that  he  had  no  other  proofs  than 
tliese  to  offer  of  his  mission,  or  of  the  truth  of  his  rela- 
tions. 

One  thing  I  allow,  that  his  letters  every  where  discov- 
er great  zeal  and  earnestness  in  the  cause  in  which  he  was 
engaged  ;  that  is  to  say,  he  was  convinced  of  the  truth  of 
what  he  taught ;  he  was  deeply  impressed,but  not  more  so 
than  the  occasion  merited,  with  a  sense  of  its  importance. 
This  produces  a  corresponding  animation  and  solicitude 
in  the  exercise  of  his  ministry.  But  would  not  these  con- 
siderations, supposing  them  to  be  well  founded,  have  hold- 
en  the  same  place,  and  produced  the  same  effect,  in  a 
mind  the  strongest  and  most  sedate  ? 

VI.  These  letters  are  decisive  as  to  the  sufferings  of 
the  author ;  also  as  to  the  distressed  state  of  the  Christian 
church,  and  the  dangers  which  attend  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel. 

"Whereof  I  Paul  am  made  a  minister,  who  now  re- 
«  joice  in  my  sufferings  for  you,  and  fill  up  that  which  is 
"  behind  of  the  afflictions  of  Christ  in  my  flesh,  for  his 
*Vbody*s  sake,  which  is  the  church."     Col.  ch.  i.  24. 

"  If  in  this  life  only  we  have  hope  In  Christ,  we  are  of 
«  all  men  the  most  miserable,'*     Cor.  ch.  xv.  19. 

,  "j,Why  stand  we  in  jeopardy  every  hour  ?  I  protest  by 
**  your  rejoicing,  which  I  have  in  Christ  Jesus,  I  die  dai- 
♦*  ly,.  If  after  the  manner  of  men,  I  have  fought  with 
<*  beasts  at  Ephesus,  what  advantageth  it  me  if  tlie  dead 
"  rise  not  ?"  i  Cor.  ch.  xv.  30,  &c. 

**  If  children,  then  heirs,  heirs  of  God,  and  joint  heirs 
«  with  Christ ;  if  so  be  that  we  suffer  with  him,  that  we 
"  may  be  also  glorified  together.  For  I  reckon  that  the 
<*  sufferings  of  this  present  time  are  not  worthy  to  be  com- 
"  pared  with  the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed  in  us.'* 
Rom.  ch.  viii.  17,  18. 

"  Who  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of  Christ?  shaH 
U 


23®  CONCLVSIOH. 

"  tribulation,  or  distress,  or  persecution,  or  famine,  or  na. 
"  kedness,  or  peril,  or  sword  ?  As  it  is  written,  for  thjr 
«*  sake  we  are  killed  all  tlie  day  long,  we  are  accounted  as 
"  sheep  for  the  slaughter."     Rom.  ch.  viii.  35,  36. 

"  Rejoicing  in  hope,  patient  in  tribulationy  continuing  in* 
"  stant  in  prayer,"     Rom.  ch.  xii.  12. 

"  Now  concerning  virgins  T  have  no  commandment  o£; 
**  the  Lord ;  yet  I  give  my  judgment  as  one  that  hath  ob* 
"  tained  mercy  of  the  Lord  to  be  faithful.  I  suppose 
**  therefore  that  this  is  good  for  the  present  distress  $  I  say 
"  that  it  is  good  for  a  man  so  to  be."  i  Con  ch.  vii.  25, 
«  26. 

"  For  linto  you  it  is  given,  in  the  behalf  of  Christ,  not- 
"  only  to  believe  in  him,  but  also  to  suffer  for  his  sake, 
**  having  the  same  conflict  which  ye  saw  in  me,  and  now 
"  hear  to  be  in  me."     Phil.  ch.  i.  29,  30. 

"  God  forbid  that  T  should  glory,  save  In  the  cross  of 
*•  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  the  world  is  crucified 
*'  unto  me,  and  I  unto  the  world." 

"  From  henceforth  let  no  man  trouble  me,  for  I  bear 
**  in  my  body  the  marks  of  the  Lord  Jesus.**  Gal.  chk 
"  vi.  14,  lyv 

**  Ye  became  followers  of  us,  and  of  the  Lord,  having 
**  received  the  word  in  much  afHIctlon,  with  joy  of  tlie 
'*  Holy  Ghost.**     I  Thess.  ch;  I.  6. 

**  We  ourselves  glory  in  you  in  the  churches  of  Gbd 
'•■for  your  patience  and  faith  in  all  your  persecutions  and 
**  tribulations  that  ye  endure.*'     2  Thess.  ch.  i.  4. 

We  may  seem  to  have  accumulated  texts  unnecessarily  5 
but  beside  that  the  point,  which  they  are  brought  to  prove, 
is  of  great  importance,  there  Is  this  also  to  be  remarked 
in  every  one  of  the  passages  cited,  that  the  allusion  is 
drawn  from  the  writer  by  the  argument  or  the  occasion ; 
that  the  notice  which  is  taken  of  his  sufferings,  and  of  the 
suffering  condition  of  Christianity,  is  perfectly  incidental, 
and  is  dictated  by  no  design  of  stating  the  facts  them- 
selves* Indeed  they  are  not  stated  at  all  ;  they  may  rath- 


CONCLUSION.  251 

cr  be  sa.U  to  be  assumed.  This  is  a  distinction  upon 
which  we  have  relied  a  good  deal  in  former  parts  of  this 
treatise  ;  and  where  the  writer's  information  cannot  be 
doubted,  it  always,  in  my  opinion,  adds  greatly  to  the 
value  and  credit  of  the  testimony. 

If  any  reader  require  from  the  apostle  more  direct  and 
explicit  assertions  of  the  same  thing,  he  will  receive  full 
satisfaction  in  the  following  quotations. 

*«  Are  they  ministers  of  Christ ;  (I  speak  as  a  fool)  I 
*«  am  more ;  in  labors  more  abundant,  in  stripes  above 
"  measure,  in  prisons  more  frequent,  in  deaths  oft.  Of 
'*  tlie  Jews  five  times  received  I  forty  stripes  save  one  ; 
"thrice  was  I  beaten  with  rods,  once  was  I  stoned ; 
«  thrice  I  suffered  shipwreck,  a  night  and  day  I  have 
'*  been  in  the  deep  ;  in  journeyings  often,  in  perils  of  wa- 
*'  ters,  in  perils  of  robbers,  in  perils  by  mine  own  coun- 
<«  trymen,  in  perils  by  the  heathen,  in  perils  in  the  city, 
**  in  perils  in  the  wilderness,  in  perils  in  the  sea,  in  perik 
"  among  false  brethren  ;  in  weariness  and  painfulness, 
**  in  watching  s  often,  in  hunger  and  thirst,  in  fastings  of- 
'*  ten,  in  cold  and  nakedness."     2  Cor.  ch.  xi.  23 28. 

Can  it  be  necessary  to  add  more  !  *'  I  think  that  God 
<*  hath  set  forth  us  the  apostles  last,  as  it  were  anpointed 
**  to  death  ;  for  we  are  made  a  spectacle  unto  the  world, 
««  and  to  angels,  and  to  men.  Even  unto  this  present 
**  hour  we  both  hunger  and  thirst,  and  are  naked,  and 
**  are  buifeted,  and  have  no  certain  dwelling  place,  and 
**  labor,  working  with  our  own  hands  ;  being  reviled, 
"  we  bless  ;  being  persecuted,  we  suffer  it ;  being  defam- 
*'  ed,  we  entreat  ;  we  are  made  as  the  filth  of  the  earth, 
"  and  are  tlie  offscouring  of  all  things  unto  this  day.'' 
I  Cor.ch.iv.9 — 13.  I  subjoin  this  passage  to  the  former, 
because  it  extends  to  the  other  apostles  of  Christianity 
much  of  that  which  St.Paul  declared  concerning  himself. 

In  the  following  quotations,  the  reference  to  the  au- 
Aor's  suffeiings  is  aceompanied  with  a  specification  of  time 


2$2  CONCLUSION. 

and  place,  and  witli  an  appeal  for  the  truth  of  what  he 
declares  to  the  knowledge  of  the  persons  whom  he  ad- 
dresses. «  Even  after  that  we  had  suffered  before,  and 
«  were  shamefully  entreated,  as  ye  hioiu,  at  Philippic  we 
"  were  bold  in  our  God  to  speak  unto  you  the  gospel  of 
"  God  with  much  contention."     i  Thess.  ch.  ii.  2. 

**  But  thou  hast  fully  knoivn  my  doctrine,  manner  of 
•'  life,  purpose,  faitli,  longsuffering,  persecutions,  afflic- 
**  tions,  which  came  to  me  at  Antioch,  at  Iconiumy  at  Lystra  ; 
*<  what  persecutions  I  endured ;  but  out  of  them  all  the 
**  Lord  delivered  me."     2  Tim.  ch.  iii,  10,  11. 

I  apprehended  that  to  this  point,  as  far  as  the  testimo- 
ny of  St.Paul  is  credited,  the  evidence  from  his  letters  is 
complete  and  full.  It  appears  under  every  form  in  which 
it  could  appear,  by  occasional  allusions  and  by  direct  as- 
sertions, by  general  declarations,  and  by  specific  examples. 

VII.  St.  Paul  in  these  letters  asserts,  in  positive  and 
unequivocal  terms,  his  performance  of  miracles  strictly 
and  properly  so  called. 

"  He  therefore  that  minlstereth  to  you  the  spirit 
**  and  worketh  miracles  (m^yuv  dvm^n;)  among  you,  doth 
"  he  it  by  the  works  of  the  law,  or  by  the  hearing  of 
«  faith  ?"  Gal.  ch.  iii.  5. 

"  For  I  will  not  dare  to  speak  of  those  things  which 
"  Christ  hath  not  wrought  be  me,*  to  make  the  Gentiles 
♦*  obedient  by  word  and  deed,  through  mighty  signs  and 
**  wonders  (tv  ^vvxf^ii  a-ifinuv  Kctt  Ti^arm),  by  tlie  power  of 
«« the  Spirit  of  God  ;  so  that  from  Jerusalem  and  round 
<^  about  unto  Illyricum  I  have  fully  preached  tlie  gospel 
«  of  Christ."     Rom,  ch.  xv.  18,  19. 

"  Truly  the  signs  of  an  apostle  were  WTOught  among 
**  you  In  all  patience.  In  signs  and  wonders  and  mighty 
deeds,*'  («v  o-vi^uoii  kxi  r^x<ri  Kon  ^yv«,fc6?<r<-|-),2Cor.ch.xii.  12. 

♦  I.  e.  "  I  will  speak  of  nothing  but  what  Christ  hath  wrought  by 
«  me  ;"  or,  as  Grotius  interprets  it,  "  Christ  hath  wrought  so  great 
♦I  things  by  me,  that  I  will  not  dare  to  say  what  he  hath  not  wrought. 

f  To  those  may  be  added  the  following  indirect  allusions,  which.,. 


CONCLUSION.  233 

These  words,  signs,  wonders,  and  mighty  deeds  (<rjjjt68<«, 
xxi  n^ocrx,  xxi  ^vvet^ug),  are  the  specific  appropriate  terms 
throughout  the  New  Testament,  employed  when  public 
sensible  miracles  are  intended  to  be  expressed.  This  will 
appear  by  consulting,  amongst  other  places,  the  texts  refer* 
red  to  in  the  note  ;*  and  it  cannot  be  shown  that  they  arc 
ever  employed  to  express  any  thing  else. 

Secondly,  these  words  not  only  denote  miracles  as  op- 
posed to  natural  effects,  but  they  denote  visible,  and  what 
may  be  called  external  miracles,  as  distinguished. 

First,  from  Inspiration,  If  St.  Paul  had  meant  to  refer 
only  to  secret  illuminations  of  his  understanding,  or  secret 
influences  upon  his  will  or  affections,  he  could  not,  with 
truth,  have  represented  them  as  "  signs  and  wonders 
"  tvrought  by  him,"  of  "  signs  and  wonders  and  mighty 
"  deeds  wrought  amongst  tliem." 

Secondly,  from  visions.  These  would  net,  by  any 
means,  satisfy  the  force  of  the  terms,  "  signs,  wonders, 
"  and  mighty  deeds  ;"  still  less  could  they  be  said  to  be 

though  if  they  had  stood  alone,  i.  e.  without  plainer  texts  in  the  same 
writings,  they  might  have  been  accounted  dubious;  yet  when  con- 
sidered in  conjunction  with  the  passages  already  cited,  can  hardly  re- 
ceive any  other  interpretation  than  that  which  we  give  them. 

* '  My  speech  and  my  preaching  was  not  with  enticing  words  of 
«  men's  wisdom,  but  in  demonstration  of  the  spirit  and  of  power  ; 
"  that  your  faith  should  not  stand  in  the  wisdom  of  man,  but  of  the 
«  power  of  God."     i  €or.  chap.  ii.  4, 5. 

"  The  gospel,  whereof  I  was  made  a  minister,  according  to  the 
"  gift  of  the  grace  of  God  given  unto  me,  by  the  effectual  working  of 
*  his  power."     Eph.  ch.  iii.  7. 

"  For  he  that  wrought  eifectually  in  Peter  to  the  apostleship  of  the 
"  circumcision,  the  same  was  mighty  in  me  towards  the  Gentiles.'* 
Gal.  ch.  ii.  8. 

«  For  our  gospsi  came  not  unto  you  in  word  only,  but  also  in  pow- 
«^r,  and  in  the  Holy  Ghost  and  in  much  assurance.'*  i  Thess. 
ch.  i.  5. 

*  Mark,  xvi.  20.  Luke,  xxiil.  8.  John,  ii.  XI.  23 ;  Hi.  a;  iv.  48. 
54;  xi.  49.  Acts,  ii.  %% ;  iv.  30  J  V.  xa;  vi.  8 ;  vii.  1$  5  xiv,  35  XT» 
1%,  Heb.  ii.  4. 

V2 


234  CONCLUSION, 

"  wrought  bj  him,*'  or  "  wrought  amongst  them  ;**  nor 
are  these  terms  and  expressions  any  where  appUed  to  vis- 
ions. When  our  author  alludes  to  the  supernatural  com- 
munications which  he  had  received,  either  by  vision  or 
otherwise,  he  uses  expressions  suited  to  the  nature  of  the 
subject,  but  very  different  from  the  words  which  we  have 
quoted.  He  calls  them  revelations,  but  never  signs,  won- 
ders, or  mighty  deeds.  "  I  will  come,**  says  he,  "  to 
**  visions  and  revelations  of  the  Lord  ;**  and  then  proceeds 
to  describe  a  particular  instance,  and  afterwards  adds, 
••  lest  I  should  be  exalted  above  measure  through  the 
*«  abundance  of  the  revelations,  there  was  given  me  a  thorn 
«  in  the  flesh.'* 

Upon  the  whole,  the  matter  admits  of  no  softening- 
qualification,  or  ambiguity  whatever.  If  St.  Paul  did  not 
work  actual,  sensible,  public  miracles,  he  has  knowingly, 
in  these  letters,  borne  his  testimony  to  a  falsehood.  I  need 
not  add,  that,  in  two  alsa  of  the  quotations,  he  has  ad- 
ranced  his  assertion  in  the  face  of  those  persons  amongst 
whom  he  declares  the  miracles  to  have  been  wrought. 

Let  it  be  remembered  that  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles 
describe  various  particular  miracles  wrought  by  St.  Paul, 
which  in  their  nature  answer  to  the  terms  and  expressions^ 
■which  we  have  seen  to  be  used  by  St.  Paul  himself. 


Here  then  we  have  a  man  of  liberal  attainments,  and 
m  other  psints  of  sound  judgment  who  had  addicted  his 
life  to  the  service  of  the  gospel.  We  see  him,  in  the 
prosecution  of  his  purpose,  travelling  from  country  to 
•ountry,  enduring  every  species  of  hardship,  encountering 
•very  extremity  of  danger,  assaulted  by  the  populace, 
punished  by  the  magistrates,  scourged,  beat,  stoned,  left 
for  dead  ;  expecting,  wherever  he  came,  a  renewal  of  the 
aame  treatment,  and  the  same  dangers,  yet,  when  driven 
from  one  city,  preaching  In  the  next ;  spending  his  whole 
lUPOe  ia  the  employment,  sacrificing  to  it  his  pleasures,  his 


CONCLUSION.  255 

ease,  his  safety  ;  persisting  in  this  course  to  old  age,  un- 
altered by  the  experience  of  perverseness,  ingratitude,  pre- 
judice, desertion;  unsubdued  by  anxiety,  want,  labor, 
persecutions  ;  unwearied  by  long  confinement,  undismay- 
ed by  the  prospect  of  death.  Such  was  St.  Paul.  We 
have  his  letters  in  our  hands ;  we  have  also  a  history  pur- 
porting to  be  written  by  one  of  his  fellow  travellers,  and 
appearing,  by  a  comparison  with  these  letters,  certainly 
to  have  been  written  by  some  person  well  acquainted  with 
the  transactions  of  his  life.  From  the  letters,  as  well  as 
from  the  history,  we  gather  not  only  the  account  which  we 
have  stated  of  him,  but  that  he  was  one  out  of  many  who 
acted  and  suffered  in  the  same  manner  ;  and  that,  of  those 
who  did  so,  several  had  been  the  companions  of  Christ's 
ministry,  the  ocular  witnesses,  or  pretending  to  be  such, 
of  his  miracles,  and  of  his  resurrection.  We  moreover 
find  this  same  person  refening  in  his  letters  to  his  super- 
natural conversion,  the  particulars  and  accompanying  cir- 
cumstances of  which  are  related  in  the  history,  and  which 
accompanying  circumstances,  if  all  or  any  of  them  be 
true,  render  it  impossible  to  have  been  a  delusion.  We  al- 
so find  him  positively,  and  in  appropriated  terms,  assert- 
ing, that  he  himself  worked  miracles,  strictly  and  proper- 
ly so  called,  in  support  of  the  mission  which  he  executed  ; 
the  history,  meamvhile,  recording  various  passages  of  his 
ministry,  which  come  up  to  the  extent  of  this  assertion. 
The  question  is,  wether  falsehood  was  ever  attested  hj 
evidence  like  this.  Falsehoods,  we  know,  have  found 
their  way  into  reports,  into  tradition,  into  books  ;  but  is 
an  example  to  be  met  with,  of  a  man  voluntarily  under- 
taking a  life  of  want  and  pain,  of  incessant  fatigue,  of 
continual  peril ;  submitting  to  the  loss  of  his  home  and 
country,  to  stripes  and  stoning,  to  tedious  imprisonment, 
and  the  constant  expectation  of  a  violent:  death,  for  the 
sake  of  carrying  about  a  story  of  what  was  folse,  and  of 
what,  if  false,  he  must  have  known  to  be  so  ? 

FINIS. 


^ 


DATE  DUE 

wm^^^"-    ' 

HIGHSMITH  #45115 

▼ 


BS2650.4  .P15  1806 

Horae  Paulinae,  or,  The  truth  of  the 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1   1012  00074  5986 


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